Coeur d’Alene, Idaho – Randy James Hirst, 58, of Rathdrum, Idaho, was sentenced to 36 months in prison for possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson.
Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Hirst to pay $3,000 to a child in one of the images Hirst possessed, and to serve ten years of supervised release upon his release from prison. Hirst pleaded guilty to the charge on January 21, 2015.
According to the plea agreement, Hirst’s computer was identified as making child pornography available in an internet-based peer-to-peer network. A U.S. Secret Service agent discovered Hirst’s online activity and in July 2013, a federal search warrant was served on Hirst’s Rathdrum residence. Investigators seized Hirst’s computers and later found that they contained nine videos and 300 images of children engaged in sexually explicit acts.
A forensic analysis revealed that Hirst used search terms to find sexually explicit images of preteen girls. During the sentencing hearing, Hirst admitted that he committed the crime and apologized to the Court and his family.
The case was investigated through the collaborative effort of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), United States Secret Service, United States Border Patrol, and United States Customs and Border Protection. These agencies participate in the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, a statewide coalition of local, state, and federal law enforcement and prosecution agencies, focused on apprehending and prosecuting individuals who use the Internet to criminally exploit children.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
Defendant: Randy James Hirst
Criminal Charge: Possession of Child Pornography
City and State: Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Exact Date: January 21, 2015 (sentencing)
Sentence or Outcome: 36 months in prison, $3,000 restitution, 10 years supervised release
Related Federal Cases
- Jonathan Dillard, Possession of Child Pornography, Idaho 2016 · Idaho
- Richard Roy Sexton, Possession of Child Pornography, Idaho 2015 · Idaho
- Allan Ebel, Child Pornography Possession, Idaho 2016 · Idaho
- Casey Gibson, Possession of Child Pornography, Idaho 2015 · Idaho
- Thurlo Eugene Clark, Possession of Child Pornography, Idaho 2017 · Idaho
Key Facts
- State: Idaho
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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