Source: Office of United States Attorneys
POCATELLO – U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced the outcomes in two separate East Idaho cases in which the defendants were sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempted sex crimes against a minor child.
“These cases demonstrate that child predators will find no refuge in Idaho,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “Instead, they will find justice and a ticket to federal prison. My office is fortunate to work with law enforcement across the state who spare no effort in tracking down these criminals. And we will continue to prosecute these offenders to the fullest extent of the law.”
On February 2, 2024, Lawrence Osborn, 44, of Soda Springs, was sentenced to ten years in prison for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. According to court records, on February 24, 2023, agents with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San Angelo, Texas, conducted an online undercover operation to identify adults engaged in sexually predatory behavior towards children. During the operation, Osborn engaged in online chat communications with one of the undercover HSI agents who was posing as a mother with a 7-year-old daughter. In those communications, Osborn proposed that the mother travel from Texas to Idaho so that Osborn could sexually abuse the 7-year-old child. Osborn offered the mother money and travel accommodations to facilitate the sexual abuse of the 7-year-old. On March 3, Osborn arrived at a grocery store in Soda Springs with the intention of meeting the mother and 7-year-old, and he was arrested.
“Fortunately, Osborn was talking to an undercover agent and not a real parent or child,” said Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “This case highlights the collective efforts of law enforcement to protect society’s most vulnerable and hold child predators accountable.”
“Internet crime knows no border or boundaries, and in this instance our joint law enforcement partnerships were able to stop this Idaho based child predator from finding victims wherever his disgusting impulses may have led him,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “This sentence helps to keep our communities, both virtual and throughout Idaho, safe from those who would prey upon children.”
Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered that Osborn be placed on supervised release for ten years following his prison sentence. Osborn pleaded guilty to the charge on September 14, 2023.
In a separate case, Nathan Mark Law, 49, of Idaho Falls was also sentenced to ten years in prison on February 5, 2024. According to court records, between July and September 2022, the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force found that Law had downloaded thousands of images of child pornography also known as, “child sexual abuse material” (CSAM) over the internet. Investigators executed a search warrant of Law’s residence where they discovered CSAM on Law’s electronic devices. Law admitted not only that he downloaded CSAM but also that he had hidden a camera in his camp trailer bathroom and captured images of a minor female using the shower. Law also admitted to sharing CSAM including the images he produced with another Idaho Falls man, Che Miles. Miles was sentenced to 136 months in federal prison in September.
“This is the level of evil that we fight against – a man who would seek to create pornographic images of children,” said Attorney General Raúl Labrador, who oversees the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force for Idaho. “We cannot pretend it doesn’t happen in our communities. This kind of exploitation must be stopped at every turn. These cases are a cooperative effort and I’m grateful for everyone involved in these successful prosecutions. The stakes could not be higher when it comes to putting those that prey on Idaho’s children behind bars.”
Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye sentenced Law to 120 months in federal prison followed by ten years of supervised release. Law pleaded guilty to attempted sexual exploitation of a minor child on June 26, 2023.
The Osborn case was investigated by HSI in Idaho Falls, in conjunction with HSI in Dallas and San Angelo, with assistance from the Idaho State Police, the United States Marshals Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Soda Springs Police Department. The Law and Miles cases were investigated by the Idaho ICAC Task Force, HSI in Idaho Falls, the Idaho Falls Police Department, and the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Paskett prosecuted these cases.
These case were 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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