A Billings resident has been sentenced to a decade in prison for possession and distribution of child pornography, followed by 15 years of supervised release. The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that Nathan Allen Sayler, aged 48, will also pay $22,000 in special assessments to the United States.
Sayler entered a guilty plea in April 2024 for possessing child pornography. The sentencing was overseen by U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters.
Court documents revealed that the investigation began in September 2020 when law enforcement in Texas apprehended an individual involved in exchanging child pornography with someone located in Montana. Upon reviewing social media accounts, authorities identified Sayler as the individual in Montana. A search of his residence was conducted due to his status as a convicted sex offender.
During the search, Sayler denied using the phone linked to the social media account used for trading child pornography. However, he later confessed to another witness that he possessed and discarded the phone after authorities left his home. Further investigation led agents to execute a search warrant on Sayler’s Gmail accounts in January 2024, uncovering images of child pornography.
The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with investigative efforts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
This legal action 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 through federal, state, and local collaboration. More information about this initiative can be found at Justice.gov/PSC.