Local man sentenced to over 19 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography

The following is a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho.

POCATELLO — Vincent Miera, 53, of Chubbuck, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court to 235 months in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for distributing sexually explicit images of minors, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced. Miera was also ordered to pay $25,000 in restitution to victims of the offense. Miera was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye. Miera pleaded guilty on May 2, 2019.

According to court records, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Miera’s Chubbuck home in June 2018. Officers previously received information that Miera had downloaded a large amount of child pornography from the internet. At Miera’s home, officers discovered two phones in Miera’s possession. During a forensic search of Miera’s phones, officers found 159 images and 588 videos of child pornography. Miera admitted in court that he distributed the child pornography through a texting application.

At sentencing, Judge Nye also ordered Miera to forfeit the phones used in the commission of the offense. As a result of his conviction, Miera will be required to register as a sex offender.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in Idaho Falls and the Chubbuck Police Department.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.