Former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee admits to possessing child pornography

BILLINGS – Shawn Thomas Conrad, a former U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employee, admitted during a hearing today to possessing child pornography last year, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Conrad, 48, of Billings, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child porn. Conrad faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to life of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided at the hearing and continued Conrad’s release. Sentencing is set for Sept. 6.

In court documents filed in the case, an investigation of Conrad for a child pornography crime began in early August 2018 by the Billings Police Department, which is a member of the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Conrad was employed at the time by the USFWS. Based on the same underlying investigation, Conrad’s supervisor went to Conrad’s home on Aug. 4, 2018 and seized an agency vehicle.  Conrad said his personal hard drive was in the vehicle and asked for the hard drive. The supervisor did not return it. Conrad asked his supervisor again that evening for his hard drive.

The USFWS obtained a search warrant for the hard drive, which was examined. The BPD also served a search warrant at Conrad’s residence and seized a laptop computer, which was examined. Both the hard drive and laptop contained child porn images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee Peterson is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, FBI, BPD and USFWS.