BENJAMIN VICTOR HOUGHTON, Sex Crimes, Oregon 2023
A 29-year-old man from Captain Cook, Hawaii, has been sentenced to 41 years in federal prison for sexually abusing two Oregon children and sharing videos of the abuse online.
BENJAMIN VICTOR HOUGHTON was sentenced to 495 months in federal prison and a lifetime term of supervised release. The sum of restitution he must pay to the victims will be determined at a later date.
“Preying on children is unforgivable. Today’s lengthy sentence illustrates the heinous nature of HOUGHTON’s conduct and sends a strong message to child predators that they will be held accountable,” said Nathan J. Lichvarcik, Chief of the Eugene and Medford Branches of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon.
“Investigations into the production and distribution of child sexual abuse material remains a very high priority for the FBI,” said FBI Portland Special Agent in Charge Doug Olson. “HOUGHTON’s sentence for these heinous crimes will keep him from perpetrating more harm to children in our communities. We remain committed to pursuing these criminals, no matter where they may be.”
According to court documents, in late 2022, FBI agents received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding a video depicting child sexual abuse. While the FBI worked to identify the children and abuser, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent discovered another video which showed an adult male, later identified as HOUGHTON, sexually abusing one of the children.
During the investigation, agents learned that HOUGHTON conducted weekly piano lessons with the children virtually from his residence in Hawaii. On several occasions, HOUGHTON used the virtual piano lessons to persuade the children to perform sexual acts, which he recorded. Additionally, between 2021 and 2022, HOUGHTON traveled from Hawaii to Oregon twice to sexually abuse the children and record the abuse.
On February 24, 2023, FBI agents arrested HOUGHTON and executed a search warrant on his residence. Investigators seized HOUGHTON’s electronic devices and located approximately 1,285 images and 135 videos of child sexual abuse material, including a video recorded in November 2022, which showed HOUGHTON sexually abusing one of the children.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanks the FBI and HSI for working with them to bring this defendant to justice. Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.
This case was investigated by the FBI Portland and Honolulu Field Offices and HSI. It was prosecuted by William M. McLaren, Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Oregon, in coordination with the Lane County District Attorney’s Office.
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Key Facts
- State: Oregon
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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