On December 11, 2024, Nathan Roy Stout, a 39-year-old resident of Spokane, Washington, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography. United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice handed down the sentence and imposed a lifetime of supervised release along with restitution amounting to $9,000.
Court documents revealed that in January 2023, Stout was residing at the Residential Reentry Center (RRC) in Spokane following a prior conviction in 2018 for distributing child pornography. During his stay at the RRC, staff discovered child pornography on his cell phone. Stout admitted to his case manager that he had been downloading and subsequently deleting such material.
An FBI agent conducted an examination of Stout's phone and found 116 files depicting young children being sexually abused. The investigation also uncovered multiple file cleaners intended to erase files from the device.
United States Attorney Vanessa Waldref stated, "Mr. Stout downloaded child exploitation material, even while serving a sentence for a similar crime." She commended her team for their dedication to protecting vulnerable community members and bringing justice to victims of child abuse and exploitation.
Gregory L. Austin, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office remarked, "Mr. Stout continued to download and view child pornography while on probation following a sentence for the same offense." He emphasized the importance of protecting children as one of the most noble tasks entrusted to the FBI.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project coordinates resources across federal, state, and local levels to apprehend individuals exploiting children online and rescue victims.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI with prosecution led by Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca R. Perez.