Coeur D'Alene Man Sentenced for Possessing Child Pornography

Cyle Anthony Wyckoff, 35, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, was sentenced in federal court today to 84 months in prison for possession of sexually explicit images of minors, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge ordered Wyckoff to serve 10 years of supervised release following his prison term and pay $3,000 in restitution to one of the victims. Wyckoff pleaded guilty to the charge in December 2010.

According to the plea agreement, in November 2008, a detective with the Coeur d'Alene Police Department developed information that a computer registered to Wyckoff contained child pornography on an Internet-based file-sharing network. The detective connected to the file-sharing network and observed that Wyckoff's computer was making child pornography files available to others. The detective obtained a copy of the files and confirmed the images were child pornography.

On July 1, 2009, members of the North Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force served a search warrant at Wyckoff's Coeur d'Alene residence. Agents seized computer equipment, CDs, and DVDs. Wyckoff, who was present during the search, admitted when questioned by agents that he downloaded child pornography. He told agents that he deleted much of the child pornography he had downloaded, but admitted that some would be found on his computer. The computer, CDs, and DVDs were examined by a forensic examiner with the Intermountain West Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory. The examiner found 49 still images and 65 video files depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. This included several videos of minors who were being sexually abused by adult men.

The images and videos recovered from Wyckoff's computer and discs were sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to be analyzed by the Child Victim Identification Program (CVIP). The CVIP database contains thousands of digital images of known victims of sexual exploitation that have been seized from criminal defendants and collected from the Internet. The CVIP database confirmed that images contained on Wyckoff's computer and discs were identified minors, including children from Connecticut, Utah, Washington state, Kentucky, Belgium, Germany, England, and Russia.

"Crimes against children taint our communities and do harm that reverberates, at times, for generations," said Olson. "In Idaho, federal, state, and local law enforcement officers work together in cases such as this one to ensure that those who traffic in these images are caught and punished."

The case was investigated by the North Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The task force is comprised of local and federal law enforcement agents from the Coeur d'Alene Police Department, the Shoshone County Sheriff's Office, the Post Falls Police Department, the Moscow Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Secret Service, the U.S. Postal Service, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.

Steele Convicted on All Counts in Murder-for-Hire Scheme

Edgar J. Steele, 65, of Sagle, Idaho, was convicted today by a federal jury in Boise on all counts, including using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire, use of explosive material to commit a federal felony, possession of a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence, and tampering with a victim, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

During the seven-day trial, the jury heard audio tapes of Steele making statements to Larry Fairfax, the individual he tried to hire, confirming his participation in the murder-for-hire plot. Mr. Fairfax pled guilty on related charges and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 11 in Coeur d'Alene.

Steele's conviction for using interstate commerce facilities in the commission for murder-for-hire and use of explosive material to commit a federal felony each carry a maximum punishment of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to three years of supervised release. Steele's conviction for possession of a destructive device in relation to a crime of violence (murder-for-hire) carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years and maximum of life in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and up to five years of supervised release. The mandatory minimum 30-year sentence must be served consecutively to the murder-for-hire sentence. For tampering with a victim, Steele faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and up to three years of supervised release.

Sentencing is scheduled for August 22, 2011, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.

“We are pleased with the verdict,” said Olson. “This trial involved some detailed and difficult evidence that the jury clearly closely evaluated before reaching its decision. The defendant tried to portray this case as a government conspiracy based on manufactured evidence.

The jury's verdict confirms what we knew—there was no conspiracy, only Edgar Steele's own words and actions proving that he tried to hire Larry Fairfax to murder his wife. Our sympathy goes out to Mrs. Steele and her children. This case is truly a tragedy for that family.”

Olson commended Assistants United States Attorney Marc Haws and Traci Whelan, and members of the North Idaho Violent Crime Task Force (NIVCTF) and Federal Bureau of Investigation who investigated the case.

The NIVCTF consists of investigators representing the FBI, Idaho State Police, Kootenai County Sheriff's Department, Shoshone County Sheriff's Office, Bonner County Sheriff's Office, Coeur d'Alene Police Department, Post Falls Police Department, and the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Police Department, and is tasked with investigating a myriad of violent crimes to include armed robbery, kidnapping, felonious assault, and drug trafficking.

Man Sentenced for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

Christopher Clay Gober, 32, of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Coeur d'Alene to 84 months in federal prison for unlawful possession of a firearm, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Gober to serve three years of supervised release following his prison term and 100 hours of community service. Gober pleaded guilty to the charge in September 2010.

According to the plea agreement, on April 18, 2010, a probation search was conducted on a room Gober was renting at a hotel in Coeur d'Alene. Based upon items found in the room, which included used syringes, two methamphetamine pipes, a box of .38 ammunition and other items, the probation officer decided to search the defendant's vehicle, a Dodge Charger. A lock box was found inside the car and a search warrant was obtained to search the lock box. Officers discovered a loaded .38 caliber handgun and six loose rounds of ammunition in the lock box. Gober admitted there was a .38 pistol inside the lock box. A convicted felon, Gober is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to prior felony convictions for aggravated assault, intimidating a witness, manslaughter, and escape.

The case was investigated by the North Idaho Violent Crime Task Force, which is a Federal Bureau of Investigation-sponsored Safe Streets Task Force, comprised of law enforcement from the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department, Coeur d’Alene City Police Department, Post Falls Police Department, Idaho State Police, Bonner County Sheriff's Department, Shoshone County Sheriff's Department, and the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. The task force also participates with the United States Postal Inspection Service, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Marshal Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and coordinates as needed with the Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), U.S. Border Patrol, and U.S. Forest Service.