Richland, Washington
Spokane – William D. Hyslop, United States Attorney for the
Eastern District of Washington, announced today and presented the City of
Richland Police Department and the City of Kennewick Police Department with
$154,668.21 in asset forfeiture equitable sharing funds.
The Richland Police Department is receiving $96,667.63 and
the Kennewick Police Department is receiving $58,000.58 to be used for further
law enforcement purposes. Richland Police Chief John Bruce accepted the funds
on behalf of the Richland Police Department. Kennewick Police Chief Ken
Hohenburg accepted the funds on behalf of the Kennewick Police Department. The
two law enforcement agencies are members of the Southeast Regional Internet
Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and share the forfeiture funds as a
result.
The asset forfeiture funds are the result of the United
States’ seizure of assets from Dale Gordon Black of Kennewick, Washington. On
December 18, 2018, Black pleaded guilty to three counts of Production of Child
Pornography. On July 16, 2019, Senior United States District Judge Edward F.
Shea sentenced Black to a 30-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a
lifetime of court supervision after he is released from federal prison. The
court ordered Black to forfeit $185,900 in cash and his Subaru Legacy, and to
pay $19,150 in restitution and $305,000 in fines, $5,000 of which was imposed
under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.
According to information disclosed during court proceedings,
on July 18, 2017, undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation agents downloaded
a child pornography video from an Internet Protocol address that was traced to
Black's residence using a peer-to-peer file sharing program.
Investigators obtained a search warrant and seized many electronic
devices from Black’s residence. A forensic examination of Black’s electronic
devices revealed child pornography images that he had produced. The images were
of three children Black knew either as neighbors or through his work in a local
youth mentoring program. Black produced the images at his house and on
overnight trips he took alone with the children.
As part of the prosecution of Black, the United States
seized, forfeited, and sold Black’s Subaru Legacy because he used it to
transport his victims in furtherance of his child pornography production
crimes. In addition, the United States forfeited $185,900 in cash from Black,
which represented proceeds from the sale of the house where Black produced
child pornography images. All of the forfeitures were approved and authorized
by the court.
Pursuant to applicable regulations, an 80% share of the
forfeiture proceeds from the forfeited cash and sale of Black’s vehicle are
being shared with the Richland Police Department and Kennewick Police Department
in recognition of their significant contributions to the investigation and
prosecution of Dale Gordon Black. The shared asset forfeiture funds will assist
these agencies in their further crime-fighting efforts.
The Department of Justice Asset Forfeiture Program is, first
and foremost, a law enforcement program. It removes the tools of crime from
criminal organizations, deprives wrongdoers of the proceeds of their crimes,
recovers property that may be used to compensate victims, and deters crime. The
Department of Justice emphasizes these law enforcement purposes with all
federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies.
One of the ancillary benefits of asset forfeiture is sharing
federal forfeiture proceeds with cooperating state and local law enforcement
agencies through equitable sharing as is occurring here. The Department of
Justice Equitable Sharing Program enhances cooperation between federal, state,
local, and tribal law enforcement by providing valuable additional resources to
those law enforcement agencies.
United States Attorney Hyslop said, “Sexual predation and
exploitation of children are heinous crimes. That Dale Black preyed on
vulnerable children through his participation in a youth mentorship program
make his crimes even more egregious. The children in our community are safer
now that Black has been convicted of three serious felony child pornography
offenses and removed from society and the ability to hurt others. The sentence
imposed in this case, and the forfeiture of Black’s assets, serves as a stern
warning to offenders that you will be held accountable for your actions.”
Hyslop further said, “Prosecuting those who would produce
pornographic images of vulnerable minors is a high priority of the United
States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington. The
investigation resulting in Black’s conviction exemplifies the positive results
that can be achieved when federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement
agencies collaborate and work together. I commend the dedicated work of all the
law enforcement officers who investigated this case.”
This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a
nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of
Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Department of Justice
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. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC”) has five major
components:
Integrated
federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child
exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;
Participation of
PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;
Increased federal
enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;
Training of
federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and,
Community
awareness and educational programs.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please
visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For information about internet safety education,
please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
The enforcement action resulting in this forfeiture was
assisted by the ICAC Task Force. The ICAC Task Force is comprised of the Cities
of Richland and Kennewick, Benton County, and the Department of Homeland
Security Investigations, Seattle Office. The ICAC Task Force serves the
public’s best interest by allowing these agencies to pool resources and
knowledge to investigate, prosecute and deter the possession, production, and
distribution of child pornography and the utilization of the internet to seek
out children as sexual victims.
This case was investigated by the Spokane Resident Office of
the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the ICAC Task Force,
the Richland Police Department and the Kennewick Police Department.
This case was prosecuted by Alison L. Gregoire and Brian M.
Donovan, Assistant United States Attorneys for the Eastern District of
Washington.
More information regarding the DOJ Equitable Sharing Program
can be found here: DOJ Guide to Equitable Sharing.
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