Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced the sentencing of Dustin Lee Vittitoe, 23, from Omaha, Nebraska. Vittitoe was sentenced to 97 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography. United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher handed down the sentence. Following his prison term, Vittitoe will be subject to an eight-year period of supervised release and, as federal policy dictates, no parole is available.
The investigation began on January 21, 2023, when the Douglas County Sheriff's Office responded to a report concerning child pornography on a cell phone owned by Vittitoe. The deputies discovered child pornography on his device and in the MEGA application installed on his phone. Deputies verified Vittitoe's MEGA account details and, on February 22, 2023, executed a federal search warrant at Vittitoe's home. During this search, electronic devices were seized and forensically examined. Analysis of these devices revealed that Vittitoe had solicited and searched for child pornography across multiple platforms. A total of 411 images were found on his devices. These images included explicit content involving prepubescent children, adults engaging in sexual acts with children, and acts of sadistic and masochistic nature involving minors.
The arrest is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative by the Department of Justice launched in May 2006 to tackle the issue of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative is led by United States Attorney’s Offices in conjunction with the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), utilizing federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and assist victims. Additional details on Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The Douglas County Sheriff's Office conducted the investigation into Vittitoe's activities.