Twin Falls Man Gets 63 Months for Child Porn Possession

Richard Roy Sexton, 73, of Twin Falls, Idaho, was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography, marking the latest conviction in the Department of Justice’s aggressive crackdown on online child sexual exploitation. The sentence, handed down in U.S. District Court in Boise, includes 5 years of supervised release and a lifetime requirement to register as a sex offender.

Sexton pleaded guilty on October 11, 2016, to one count of possession of child pornography. According to court documents, in August 2015, agents from the United States Postal Inspectors Service (USPIS) and the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) executed an initial contact at Sexton’s residence. He admitted to downloading explicit images of minors from the internet and consented to the seizure of his computer and an external hard drive—both later found to contain illicit material.

The investigation took a darker turn in October 2015 when Sexton visited a Verizon Wireless store in Twin Falls seeking technical help with an electronic tablet. A store employee discovered child pornography on the device and immediately alerted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). That report triggered a renewed investigation, leading to the seizure of the tablet and a subsequent search warrant that confirmed the presence of additional illegal content.

In his plea agreement, Sexton admitted to possessing at least 360 images and 40 videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct across his devices. Among the material were images of prepubescent children. Forensic analysis revealed repeated searches and downloads of child pornography via the internet. NCMEC later identified 332 images containing known, identifiable victims from 34 distinct child pornography series—evidence that underscores the real-world harm tied to such crimes.

Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill ordered the forfeiture of all devices used in the offense: the computer, external hard drive, and tablet. The ruling ensures the material will not resurface or be redistributed. As part of the sentence, Sexton will face strict monitoring during his five years of supervised release, including potential random searches and internet use restrictions.

The case was investigated by the USPIS and the Idaho ICAC Task Force, and prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. The effort, led by U.S. Attorneys and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, pools federal, state, and local resources to identify offenders, dismantle networks, and rescue victims. For more information, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.

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