Attorney General Raúl Labrador has announced that Richard Hammond, a Caldwell attorney, was sentenced to ten years in prison for Sexual Exploitation of a Child by Possession of Sexually Exploitative Material (Child Pornography). Hammond was sentenced on October 30, 2024, by Canyon County District Judge Thomas Whitney.
Hammond’s sentence follows an extensive investigation by the Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. According to testimony at the sentencing hearing, the investigation uncovered Hammond’s use of a BitTorrent network to receive and share child sexual abuse material. Meridian Police Detective Jim Bohr, who serves in the Attorney General’s ICAC Unit, and ICAC Forensic Examiner Chris Hardin both testified at the sentencing. Detective Bohr explained to the court how a BitTorrent network operates and how it can be used to share and access child sexual abuse material. Forensic Examiner Hardin testified that thousands of files found on Hammond’s electronic devices show the sexual abuse of young children.
Deputy Attorney General Madison Allen argued for a ten-year prison term, emphasizing that any lesser sentence would undermine the gravity of the offenses. The requested sentence included eligibility for parole after four years. Judge Whitney sentenced Hammond to a total of ten years with four years fixed and six years indeterminate. Upon release, Hammond will have to register as a sex offender pursuant to Idaho law.
“We’re grateful for the time and attention the judge gave to this case,” said Idaho ICAC Commander Nicholas Edwards. “BitTorrent cases are technologically complicated and especially difficult to investigate and then explain in court. Fortunately, we have experts like Jim and Chris who have devoted their careers to protecting Idaho’s children and who have developed an expertise in these investigations.”
The case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorneys General Madison Allen and Ingrid Batey.
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