Richard Marlin Kellogg, a 50-year-old resident of Homedale, Idaho, was sentenced to 135 months in federal prison for possessing child sexual abuse material. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis.
The investigation began when the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) received a CyberTip report from a cloud storage platform. This type of report is submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), which collects tips about suspected online crimes against children and forwards them to law enforcement agencies. Authorities determined that Kellogg’s cloud account had been used to upload and store illegal material.
Law enforcement obtained a search warrant for the contents of Kellogg’s cloud account and found numerous files containing child sexual abuse material. ICAC then executed a search warrant at Kellogg’s home in Homedale. During the operation, Kellogg refused to leave his residence and was later discovered hiding in a concealed room inside the house. Investigators seized his cellphone, which contained hundreds of files with illegal content.
Chief U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford ordered that Kellogg serve a lifetime period of supervised release after completing his prison sentence and pay $6,000 in restitution to victims depicted in the images he possessed. Kellogg must also register as a sex offender due to his conviction.
U.S. Attorney Davis said: “I commend the work of the Idaho ICAC Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations in Boise and Spokane, which led to this charge.” The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kassandra McGrady.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. Through Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho works with state partners such as the Idaho Attorney General’s Office to coordinate resources at all levels for prosecuting offenders who exploit children online and rescuing victims.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Idaho leads prosecutions like this one on behalf of the federal government within Idaho’s jurisdiction, including both urban centers and rural communities through its offices statewide. The office employs approximately 60 staff members, focusing on enforcing federal laws through both criminal prosecutions and civil litigation across Idaho.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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