Jeffrey Brandon Zabolotney, Receiving Child Pornography, Montana 2020

A Florence man has been sentenced to 7 years in prison for receiving child pornography, a federal crime that has left communities shaken.

According to court documents, Jeffrey Brandon Zabolotney, 35, admitted to receiving numerous files of child pornography in 2020. The defendant pleaded guilty in March to one count of receipt of child pornography.

The government alleged that in November 2020, the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office received a report that Zabolotney was accessing child pornography online and that he possessed child pornography on a digital storage device. A search warrant was obtained, and law enforcement seized multiple computers and storage devices, which were later analyzed by Homeland Security Investigations.

After reviewing the seized devices, law enforcement found digital files that depicted children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The analysis revealed that between June 2017 and August 2020, Zabolotney received over 4,600 image files and over 135 video files of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich stated that the sentence holds Zabolotney accountable for his crimes and serves as a warning to others. The defendant was also ordered to pay $51,000 in restitution to the victims.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee L. Peterson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations.

Jeffrey Brandon Zabolotney, a 35-year-old man from Florence, Montana, was sentenced to 7 years in prison for receiving child pornography. The defendant pleaded guilty in March to one count of receipt of child pornography and was ordered to pay $51,000 in restitution to the victims.

The case serves as a reminder of the importance of holding individuals accountable for their crimes and the need for continued efforts to prevent child exploitation.

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