KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Andrew Scott Conard, 30, of Knoxville, Tenn., is going away for a long time. On January 17, 2017, U.S. District Judge Thomas Varlan sentenced Conard to 188 months in federal prison for possessing and distributing child pornography — a grim payoff for years of digital predation.
Conard pleaded guilty in June 2016 to one count of possession and one count of distribution of child pornography, charges stemming from a federal indictment. Court records show he admitted to storing a trove of illegal material on his computer — downloaded from the internet — and knowingly sharing it through a peer-to-peer file-sharing network, hoping to trade for more sick content.
The digital trail runs cold for predators like Conard — and investigators caught him early. In March 2014, a Knoxville Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) investigator downloaded a child pornography video directly from Conard’s machine via the file-sharing network he set up. The alarm was raised, the hunt began, and federal agents moved in two years later.
In May 2016, authorities executed a search warrant at Conard’s Knoxville residence and seized his computer. A forensic dive into the device uncovered 91 images and 164 videos of child pornography — some featuring known victims whose identities have been confirmed through national databases. The evidence was damning, irrefutable, and deeply disturbing.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank Dale handled the prosecution, securing a sentence that includes not only 188 months behind bars but also 15 years of supervised release under the watch of the U.S. Probation Office. For victims, it’s a small measure of justice. For Conard, it’s a lifetime reckoning.
The case was part of Project Safe Childhood, the DOJ’s nationwide crackdown on child sexual exploitation launched in 2006. Led by U.S. Attorneys and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, the initiative combines federal, state, and local firepower to hunt down offenders and rescue children. More at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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