Blackfoot man sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child pornography
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POCATELLO — A 35-year-old Blackfoot man was sentenced Wednesday to federal prison for coercing a minor to engage in sexual activity and producing and receiving child pornography.
In a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Idaho, Attorney Josh Hurwit announced Andrew Ray Young was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.
The Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office began investigating Young in December 2020 when the victim’s mother found nude photographs being exchanged over Snapchat. The victim at the time was 14 years old.
According to a local affidavit of probable cause, in an interview with detectives, the victim said she and Young had been communicating over Snapchat. Young developed a romantic relationship with the victim. The victim and Young reportedly sent back and forth nude photographs.
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A detective with the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office got a search warrant for Young’s home and electronic devices. The detective found that Young was having sexual conversations with the child for over eight months on Young’s phone.
Young had the victim produce numerous sexually explicit images and videos. Investigators found 38 nude files of the victim saved in a gallery.
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According to the news release, the child testified at trial that Young met her online. Through a process of grooming, Young convinced her to produce the images and videos, the release said.
“Visiting Wyoming Chief U.S. District Judge Scott W. Skavdahl also sentenced Young to 25 years of supervised release, which will commence upon completing his prison sentence. Young will also be required to register as a sex offender. Young was convicted by a federal jury sitting in Pocatello on June 22, 2022,” the release said.
“Protecting the most vulnerable members of our society, our children, has never been more urgent,” said Hurwit in the release. “I thank our federal and local partners for their teamwork and dedication in this case. We will continue our efforts to ensure the safety of Idaho’s children.”
Multiple agencies worked on this case, including the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, Homeland Security Investigations, the Rexburg, Idaho Falls, and Blackfoot Police Departments, and the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force.