The Dalles Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Transporting and Possessing Child Pornography

PORTLAND, Ore.—Jonathan David Murphy, 42, of The Dalles, Oregon, was sentenced today, April 2, 2020, to seven years in federal prison and five years’ supervised release for transporting and possessing child pornography.

According to court documents, in 2017, local and federal law enforcement conducted undercover investigations of online peer-to-peer file sharing programs being used to exchange images of child pornography. Three separate investigations led investigators to an Internet protocol (IP) address registered to a home Murphy shared with his fiancée in The Dalles.

In June 2018, investigators executed a federal search warrant at the residence and Murphy consented to an interview. Murphy admitted to using uTorrent, a peer-to-peer file sharing network, to download and share child pornography.

On February 27, 2020, Murphy pleaded guilty to one count each of transportation and possession of child pornography. After his release from prison, Murphy will be required to register as a sex offender.

This case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from the Wasco County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Natalie Wight, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.

Anyone who has information about the physical or online exploitation of children are encouraged to call the FBI at (503) 224-4181 or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.

Federal law defines child pornography as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a minor. It is important to remember child sexual abuse material depicts actual crimes being committed against children. Not only do these images and videos document victims’ exploitation and abuse, but when shared across the Internet, child victims suffer re-victimization each time the image of their abuse is viewed. To learn more, please visit the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s website at www.missingkids.org.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.