Child porn results in prison term

COEUR d'ALENE - Randy James Hirst, 58, of Rathdrum, was sentenced on Tuesday to 36 months in prison for possessing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Hirst to pay $3,000 to a child in one of the images Hirst possessed, and to serve 10 years of supervised release upon his release from prison. Hirst pleaded guilty to the charge on Jan. 21.

According to the plea agreement, Hirst's computer was identified as making child pornography available in an Internet-based peer-to-peer network. A U.S. Secret Service agent discovered Hirst's online activity and in July 2013, a federal search warrant was served on Hirst's Rathdrum residence.

Investigators seized Hirst's computers and later found that they contained nine videos and 300 images of children engaged in sexually explicit acts. A forensic analysis revealed that Hirst used search terms to find sexually explicit images of preteen girls. During the sentencing hearing, Hirst admitted that he committed the crime and apologized to the court and his family.

The case was investigated through the collaborative effort of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, U.S. Secret Service, United States Border Patrol and United States Customs and Border Protection.

These agencies participate in the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, a statewide coalition of local, state and federal law enforcement and prosecution agencies, focused on apprehending and prosecuting individuals who use the Internet to criminally exploit children.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.