Boise Man Sentenced to 28 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography

by Press Release

BOISE – Joseph Anthony Lee, 38, of Boise, was sentenced to 336 months in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. today. Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Lee to serve 15 years of supervised release following his prison sentence. Lee pleaded guilty to the charges on March 22, 2021.

According to court records, the investigation began after a thirteen-year-old female reported that Lee had been sexually abusing her for several years. Following the victim’s disclosure, the Boise Police Department (BPD) obtained a search warrant for Lee’s residence. BPD executed the search warrant on January 23, 2020. BPD contacted Lee and seized his cellphone. After obtaining a search warrant for Lee’s cellphone, BPD located explicit images and videos that Lee had produced of himself sexually abusing the victim. BPD also located numerous files of child pornography depicting other children.

Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez commended the investigators from Boise Police Department and the Ada County Prosecutor’s Office for aggressively pursuing this defendant and holding him accountable. “As parents, colleagues, teachers, and caregivers, we must be vigilant in reporting these types of crimes to law enforcement. Please help us prevent child abuse,” he concluded.

At sentencing, Judge Winmill also ordered Lee to pay restitution of $18,000 to victims in the images he possessed. As a result of conviction, Lee will be required to register as a sex offender.


This case was 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. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals 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.


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Project Safe Childhood

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