Steven Lee McBride, Child Pornography, Washington 2020

Tacoma Man Sentenced for Child Pornography

A registered sex offender currently jailed in Skamania County pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to production of child pornography. Steven Lee McBride, 51, faces a mandatory minimum 15-years in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge Benjamin H. Settle on October 26, 2020.

McBride was convicted in Idaho in 2007 of molesting two children under the age of 16 and was required to register as a sex offender following a state prison term of up to 15-years. Upon release from prison, McBride moved to a residence in Skamania County, where he befriended a distant relative's child and made sexually explicit images of the child between September 2017 and May 2019.

Law enforcement learned of the production of child pornography when investigators in Queensland, Australia became aware of McBride providing sexually explicit images online in their jurisdiction. An undercover officer contacted McBride and gathered additional information about the identity of the victim from him. The Vancouver Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations quickly alerted the victim's parent and arrested McBride on June 7, 2019.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend no more than 25-years in prison, and the defense will recommend no less than 18 years in prison. Judge Settle is not bound by the recommendations and can impose any sentence up to the maximum of 30 years in prison.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Vancouver Police Department and the Queensland Australia Police. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Angelica Williams.

McBride is charged in Skamania County Superior Court for the hands-on molestation, and under the terms of the plea agreement, his state and federal sentences will run concurrently.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/registered-sex-offender-pleads-guilty-producing-child-pornography