BOISE – A Caldwell man was sentenced to 324 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography.
According to court records, in May 2020, a citizen witness reported locating child pornography on a cellphone belonging to Kenneth Rowe, 51, of Caldwell. The Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force obtained a federal search warrant for the cellphone and located over 1,000 files of child pornography, including depictions of prepubescent children and depictions of infants and toddlers engaged in sexual acts. ICAC also located evidence that Rowe had used a messaging application to trade child pornography files with other people and had discussed his desire to sexually abuse a child. Rowe has previously been convicted of other sexual offenses.
Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye ordered Rowe to serve a lifetime of supervised release following his prison sentence and to pay $30,000 in restitution to victims in the images he possessed. Judge Nye also ordered Rowe to forfeit the cellphone that was used to commit the offense. As a result of the conviction, Rowe will be required to register as a sex offender.
U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr., of the District of Idaho made the announcement and commended the cooperative efforts of the Idaho ICAC Task Force and the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, which led to charges. “We make it a top priority to protect children vulnerable to online sexual predators. The trauma of sexual exploitation can last decades, even a lifetime,” said Gonzalez. “Mr. Rowe’s sentence reflects the seriousness of his crimes and the enduring harm caused when offenders record, preserve, and share images of their abhorrent exploitation of innocent children. Thanks to quick citizen action and a thorough investigation by our partners from Attorney General Wasden and Sheriff Donahue’s offices, this defendant no longer poses a threat to our children,” he concluded.
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. 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.
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