85 years for child porn

Three men plead not guilty to child porn

By TRISTAN SCOTT of the Missoulian

A Missoula man and two Butte men pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court on Tuesday to charges of receipt and possession of child pornography.

If convicted, Jon Arnold Chaussee of Missoula and Toby Renner and James Lee Winn, both of Butte, face a mandatory minimum of five years in a federal prison. They could be sentenced to a maximum of 20 years, a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervision. The men are currently released on special conditions.

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia Hurd. However, it is unclear whether the cases are related.

On Monday, a 53-year-old Great Falls man, Kenneth Edward Threadgill, was sentenced to 85 years in prison for creating and possessing child pornography.

The Wyoming Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force investigated the case by targeting peer-to-peer file-sharing networks that offered child pornography on the Internet.

In November 2006, agents learned that a computer using Threadgill's Internet Protocol address was sharing images of child pornography with other peer-to-peer users.

A forensic analysis of Threadgill's computer equipment revealed more than 600 images of child pornography. The images include children less than 12 years old engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Agents discovered videos of a young female victim on camping trips with Threadgill. The girl is shown nude and engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Threadgill's vehicle is also shown in the video.

Digital images found on the man's computers show Threadgill with the same victim while both are nude. The pictures were apparently taken of their reflection in a mirror.

Other images show a victim younger than 2 who Threadgill photographed while baby-sitting for a friend. The child is shown on a quilt that agents located on Threadgill's bed. The child is nude in the image.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, Threadgill will likely serve all the time imposed by U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon. He will have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for good behavior, but the reduction cannot exceed 15 percent of the overall sentence.