United States Attorney Jan Sharp announced that Kevin Watson, age 43, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced today in federal court in Omaha for distribution and possession of child pornography. United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Watson to 84 months of imprisonment. There is no parole in the federal system. After completing his term of imprisonment, Watson will begin a 5-year term of supervised release. Watson must also pay $3,000 in restitution.
On April 28, 2020, law enforcement partially downloaded a torrent file containing child pornography from Watson’s residence in Omaha. Watson had made the child pornography available for downloading. On May 8, 2020, officers executed a search warrant at Watson’s Omaha residence and obtained his laptop computer. Officers located at least 12 images and 15 videos of child pornography on the laptop. Watson admitted to possessing the child pornography on the laptop and to using FrostWire and Limewire to locate child pornography.
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.
The case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol.