Conway Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Materials

Evidence presented to the court showed that agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) discovered an Internet user associated with an address in Conway who engaged in Bitcoin transactions with a Darknet site from which users purchased CSAM. HSI discovered that the user engaged in several Bitcoin transactions with Bitcoin addresses within the website between March 2016 and August 2016 and that the username on the account was Laine Clark. HSI obtained a federal search warrant for the residence in Conway, and during the search, agents found multiple electronic devices. During a forensic examination of the seized devices, HSI found 10,910 images and 1,210 videos of CSAM. Clark was present during the search and admitted to his involvement in CSAM-related activities.

United States District Judge Joseph Dawson, III sentenced Clark to 78 months imprisonment, to be followed by a lifetime term of court-ordered supervision. There is no parole in the federal system. Clark was ordered to pay $41,000.00 in restitution.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren Hummel is prosecuting the case.

###