Mark Ringland, Receiving Child Pornography, Nebraska 2019

Omaha, NE – Federal Judge Laurie Smith-Camp delivered a stern judgment on Monday, June 3, 2019, sentencing Mark Ringland, 53, to 168 months in federal prison for his sickening crime of Receiving Child Pornography. The sentence will be followed by a decade of supervised release.

Ringland’s conviction followed a two-day trial in February this year, during which a jury found him guilty after hearing the harrowing details of his actions. There is no parole available under the federal system for such heinous acts.

The investigation began in spring 2017 when agents from the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force were tipped off by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an email address was actively receiving child pornographic material. Tracing back to Ringland’s account, investigators arrested him on September 1, 2017, and found a cell phone and iPad in his possession.

A search warrant authorized the seizure of these devices, which yielded over 900 images believed to be child pornography across both. It was confirmed that at least one image was received by Ringland between April 1, 2017, and September 1, 2017. At his arrest, Ringland explained his grotesque behavior by claiming to use child porn as a ‘pill for pedophilia,’ stating that he viewed images to prevent himself from acting out on children.

During the sentencing hearing, Ringland pointed fingers at Google, blaming the tech giant for providing a platform where child pornography could thrive. He claimed to be searching for such content with the intention of reporting it to Congress to push for changes in child porn laws.

This case has been a collaborative effort by the FBI Child Exploitation Task Force, involving members from the FBI, Nebraska State Patrol, and Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, demonstrating a united front against online predators.

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