BOISE – Robert Michael Harris, 43, of Middleton, Idaho, was sentenced to 360 months in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today. “This sentence reflects our deep commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our community, our children,” said U.S. Attorney Davis. “I commend our law enforcement partners for their dedication to combatting child exploitation and for their thorough investigation in this case.”

According to court records, the investigation began when Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) received information that a messaging and social media account, later identified as belonging to Harris, was part of an online group dedicated to the sharing of child sexual abuse material. HSI determined that Harris had used his account to post over one hundred files of child sexual abuse material within the group. HSI subsequently seized two cellphones belonging to Harris pursuant to a federal search warrant. HSI located thousands of files of child sexual abuse material on the cellphones, including several explicit videos that Harris had produced. HSI and the Middleton Police Department identified the victims in the produced videos as a two-year-old child and an eight-year-old child who had spent time at Harris’ home.

“Crimes against children are among the most heinous someone can commit,” said Acting HSI Seattle Special Agent in Charge April Miller. “We will not stop finding and investigating predators like Harris. We owe this to our children and communities.”

“The Middleton Police Department sincerely appreciates Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for their partnership, dedication, and effective prosecution in bringing this case to a successful conclusion and securing a 30-year sentence,” said Middleton Police Chief Jeff Smith. “More than a year of collaboration and investigative work reflected a shared commitment to this case, and we are proud of what was accomplished together.” Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Harris to serve a lifetime term of supervised release following his prison sentence and to pay $48,000 in restitution to the victims in the images that he possessed. Harris will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of his conviction. U.S. Attorney Davis commended the work of Homeland Security Investigations, the Middleton Police Department, and the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which led to the charge, and the efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Kassandra McGrady who prosecuted the case. These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.