Child Porn Distribution Nets Spokane Valley Man 5 Years In Prison

SPOKANE, WA - A Spokane Valley man caught distributing child porn by federal law enforcement agents was sentenced last Friday to five years in prison. Thomas J. Monteith, 65, will serve the five years, plus 10 years of supervised release; he will also have to register as a sex offender. Federal officials allege that they found thousands of child porn images and hundreds of videos on Monteith's computer.

Monteith was arrested after an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. An undercover agent intercepted Monteith's distribution of child porn images via a peer-to-peer file sharing site last summer between July and August.

Monteith pleaded guilty in earl April to a charge of using online software to distribute and collect child pornography.

Monteith's arrest and prosecution came under a federal program called Project Safe Childhood, which the Department of Justice launched in 2006 to combat child sex exploitation. Agents from ICE's Operation Predator, which investigates child sex abuse, spearheaded the investigation into Monteith's online behavior.

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