PHOENIX – A man found with numerous images and videos on his computer depicting child pornography has been sentenced to a 170-year prison term after a jury found him guilty on ten counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. Defendant John Landrum Jr. (D.O.B. 2/18/1959) was apprehended following an investigation by the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (AZICAC).
“The actions of this defendant are as disturbing as they are dangerous given the multiple innocent children who were victimized in such an unspeakable manner to produce the material found in his possession and who have been identified as known victims by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children,” said Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery. “Thanks to the collaborative efforts of our law enforcement partners on the Arizona Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the appropriately severe penalties Arizona mandates for those who, as consumers of child pornography, provide the market for the sexual exploitation of children, we are able to hold these types of criminals accountable for the harm they perpetuate and the threat they pose to civilized society,” he added.
Noting what is referred to as the “Butner Study,” Montgomery underscored the pernicious nature of child pornography by citing the Study’s conclusion that out of 155 suspects sentenced for child pornography offenses, 115 (74%) had no documented history of “hands-on” offenses, yet at the conclusion of the Study timeframe, 131 (85%) admitted they had, in fact, committed at least one hands-on offense with a reported total of 1,777 victims (an average of 13.56 per offender).
In November 2011, investigators with the Phoenix Police Department launched an investigation into online trafficking of child pornography. Through the use of computer forensic technology, investigators were able to identify an IP address associated with a specific computer containing files with downloaded images and videos depicting sexual exploitation of minors. Over the next several weeks, investigators observed the number of images increasing. Investigators were also able to determine that the computer was located in the residence belonging to the defendant.
On January 4, 2012, a search warrant was executed on the residence. John Landrum Jr. answered the door wearing no clothes. His computer was discovered in the master bedroom actively running file sharing software conducting a search for child pornography. A subsequent examination of the computer uncovered multiple images depicting sexual exploitation of minors.
A week later, the Grand Jurors of Maricopa County indicted Landrum on ten counts of sexual exploitation of a minor, a class 2 felony and Dangerous Crime Against Children. He was convicted on all counts following a 15-day trial. The Honorable Harriet Chavez imposed a prison term of 17 years on each of the counts to be served consecutively.
The AZICAC is led by the Phoenix Police Departments ICAC Unit and is part of a national network of 63 coordinated task forces representing more than 3,000 federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecution agencies. Since its inception in 1998, ICAC task forces have reviewed more than 330,000 complaints of alleged child sexual victimization resulting in the arrest of more than 30,000 individuals. For more information, visit www.azicac.org.
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