Nicholas Adam Bartholome, Possession of Child Pornography, North Dakota 2020
Child Pornography Case Rocks Grand Forks
A 28-year-old Grand Forks man has been sentenced to 9 years in federal prison for his role in a child pornography ring.
Nicholas Adam Bartholome, 28, was sentenced on January 23, 2020 by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Peter D. Welte for Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography. Bartholome was also ordered to pay $200 in special assessments to the Crime Victims’ Fund.
United States Attorney Drew Wrigley spoke out against the crime, saying, "Child pornography is comprised of crime scene photos where child subjects are horrifyingly victimized every time the photo is shared."
According to the U.S. Attorney's office, the case came to light after an agent assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force began investigating individuals trading child pornography on a hidden network. Bartholome was found to have downloaded child pornography from computers operating in the network between August 2017 and May 2018.
During a search of Bartholome's residence on June 19, 2018, investigators seized various electronic devices and discovered that he had admitted to using multiple networks to obtain child pornography. A forensic examination of his devices revealed over 1,100 files of violent child pornography.
The images and videos depicted the violent sexual assaults of prepubescent children as young as two years of age, as well as sadistic conduct involving prepubescent children. The investigation was carried out by Homeland Security Investigation (HSI), North Dakota Bureau of Investigation, and the Grand Forks Police Department.
Bartholome's case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. The ICAC Program is a national network of 61 coordinated task forces engaging in proactive investigations, forensic investigations, and criminal prosecutions.
Key Facts
- State: North Dakota
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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