PORTLAND, Ore.—A federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment immediately charging an Oklahoma Metropolis man for sexually abusing a toddler, capturing the abuse on video, and sharing the video on-line.
Jeremy L. Peterson, 42, has been charged with manufacturing of kid pornography.
In response to court docket paperwork, on February 18, 2022, Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) brokers acquired info from the Nationwide Middle for Lacking and Exploited Kids (NCMEC) relating to a video depicting baby sexual abuse. The video was found throughout a assessment of proof seized by HSI brokers in a separate case in Iowa.
Brokers reviewed the digital video file and decided it was created in a residential house complicated in Eugene. The brokers additional recognized a number of distinctive bodily traits of the abuser within the video, together with a scorpion tattoo on the person’s chest. Within the video, the minor sufferer repeatedly asks the person to cease the abuse. Regardless of these requests, the person continued to abuse the sufferer.
HSI brokers surveilled the house complicated and interviewed its property supervisor. They obtained rental paperwork from a unit within the complicated the place they believed the abuse video was created and located the identify of one other grownup and baby listed as members of the family. The brokers then interviewed the principal of a close-by elementary faculty who positively recognized the kid from a display screen seize taken from the abuse video. The principal checked faculty information and confirmed that the kid’s deal with matched the house in query.
On February 24, 2022, investigators searched the house and recognized furnishings, carpeting, and mattress sheets in line with these showing within the abuse video. They then discovered photographs of Peterson on Fb and noticed that his likeness matched that of the abuser depicted within the video. Upon looking Peterson’s felony historical past information, brokers obtained a reserving picture from a 2011 arrest in Nebraska that confirmed Peterson had a scorpion tattoo just like the one noticed within the video.
On February 28, 2022, Peterson was arrested and made his first look in federal court docket within the Western District of Oklahoma, pleaded not responsible, and was detained pending switch to Oregon. On Tuesday, March 15, he made his first look within the District of Oregon, the place he ordered detained pending additional court docket proceedings. He will likely be arraigned on immediately’s indictment on April 13, 2022.
If convicted, Peterson faces a most sentence of 30 years in federal jail with a 15-year necessary minimal, a $250,000 tremendous, and a life time period of supervised launch.
U.S. Lawyer Scott Erik Asphaug of the District of Oregon made the announcement.
This case was investigated by Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) within the District of Oregon and the Western District of Oklahoma, with help from the Eugene Police Division. It’s being prosecuted by William McLaren, Assistant U.S. Lawyer for the District of Oregon.
An indictment is barely an accusation of a criminal offense, and a defendant is presumed harmless except and till confirmed responsible.
Anybody who has details about the bodily or on-line exploitation of kids are inspired to contact HSI at (866) 347-2423 or submit a tip on-line at www.ice.gov/tips.
Federal regulation defines baby pornography as any visible depiction of sexually specific conduct involving a minor. Youngster sexual abuse materials depicts precise crimes being dedicated in opposition to youngsters. Not solely do these pictures and movies doc victims’ exploitation and abuse, however when shared throughout the web, baby victims endure re-victimization every time the picture of their abuse is seen. To be taught extra, please go to the NCMEC’s web site at www.missingkids.org.
This case was introduced as a part of Venture Protected Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in Could 2006 by the Justice Division to fight the rising epidemic of kid sexual exploitation and abuse. For extra details about Venture Protected Childhood, please go to www.justice.gov/psc.
