Havre man sentenced to nine years in prison for receiving child pornography

 GREAT FALLS — A Havre man who admitted to receiving child pornography on his cell phone was sentenced today to nine years in prison to be followed by eight years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.

Joshua Daniel Kaupang, 38, pleaded guilty on June 3 to receipt of child pornography.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Chief Judge Morris also ordered $27,000 restitution to victims.

In court documents filed in the case, the government alleged that in January 2019 in Havre, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Kaupang’s cell phone looking for evidence in a theft case. While searching the phone, agents observed child pornography files. An agent applied for a second search warrant and located child pornography. The investigation determined that Kaupang used his phone to view “sets” of child pornography that were available for download.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee L. Peterson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation and the Havre Police Department.

This case was initiated under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, which was launched in 2006 to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children. Through a network of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and advocacy organizations, Project Safe Childhood attempts to protect children by investigating and prosecuting offenders involved in child sexual exploitation. It is implemented through partnerships including the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The ICAC Task Force Program was created to assist state and local law enforcement agencies by enhancing their investigative response to technology facilitated crimes against children.