A Billings man has admitted to possessing images of child pornography, which he exchanged with another individual, according to U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich.
Nathan Allen Sayler, 47, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography as charged in a superseding information. The defendant faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and five years to a lifetime of supervised release.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided over the hearing. A sentencing date will be set before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Sayler was released, pending a detention hearing scheduled for May 8.
The government alleged in court documents that in September 2020, law enforcement in Texas arrested an individual who was believed to be exchanging child pornography on social media. Law enforcement reviewed those accounts and determined that, in September 2020, a user in Montana had sent and received child pornography.
An investigation led to a phone number on a cellular phone and an internet provider address of Sayler’s ex-wife. On Dec. 16, 2020, law enforcement conducted a probation search of Sayler, and he denied possessing the phone. Sayler’s ex-wife informed law enforcement that she had purchased the phone for Sayler at his request.
In a subsequent interview in December 2020, Sayler acknowledged he had received the cellular phone from his ex-wife but had thrown it into the Yellowstone River in September 2020. Law enforcement was never able to locate the phone. Following the interview, Sayler suggested to his ex-wife that he had the phone on Dec. 16, 2020, when law enforcement was looking for it, but discarded it after they left.
In January 2024, investigators executed a search warrant on email accounts associated with Sayler and located child pornography on one of the accounts.
Related Federal Cases
- Christopher Todd Boudreau, Attempted Coercion and Possession of Child Pornography, Montana 2022 · Texas
- Jamie Brock Grubb, Child Pornography Distribution and Cyberstalking, Montana 2018 · Texas
- Brandon Wayne Roos, Possession and Receipt of Child Pornography, Montana 2023 · Wyoming
- Kole David Kuntz, Child Pornography Charges, Montana 2024 · Wyoming
- Brandon Frank Stricker, Receipt of Child Pornography, Montana 2024 · Massachusetts
Key Facts
- State: Montana
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Sex CrimesSex CrimesSex CrimesSex Crimes