Crimes against Children 8-9-12

Medford, OR
U.S. District Judge Owen M. Panner sentenced Thomas William Crimmins, 54, of Ashland, Oregon, on August 6, 2012, to 40 years in federal prison for distribution of child pornography. In addition, Crimmins will be on supervised release for life after serving his prison term.


In June 2010, a detective with the Southern Oregon High-Tech Crimes Task Force (SOHTCTF) determined that Crimmins was sending child pornography to a website that allowed the user to share the images with others. Crimmins used the Internet at the Ashland Public Library and two local coffee shops to send some of the images.

On March 30, 2011, SOHTCTF detectives observed Crimmins using his laptop computer at the Ashland Public Library running the same file sharing program he used to share photographs and videos of child sexual abuse. Detectives arrested Crimmins and obtained a search warrant for his computers, finding over 1,974 images and 421 videos of child sexual abuse. A number of images were of known child victims previously identified by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Agents also found evidence that Crimmins distributed the images to users across the United States and the world. Crimmins’ e-mails showed a pattern of recruiting and encouraging others to sexually abuse children. This included corresponding with individuals who identified themselves as minors and inviting them to visit him to have sex. Crimmins also e-mailed these individuals advice on how to groom children to engage in sexual activity.

“This defendant exemplifies the connection between people who view images of child sexual abuse and people who prey on children. Those of us who investigate, prosecute, and treat child sexual abuse have come to understand that child pornography is not just ‘dirty pictures,’” said U.S. Attorney Amanda Marshall. “It is documentation of the most terrible abuse you can imagine. Those who find pleasure in viewing such images pose a danger to any child unfortunate enough to come into contact with these perpetrators. The 40-year sentence in this case will ensure that this defendant can’t hurt any more children.”

New Haven, CT
David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that William Santiago, Jr., 27, of Middletown, was sentenced today by Senior United States District Judge Alfred V. Covello in Hartford to 41 months of imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release, for possessing child pornography.

According to court documents and statements made in court, Santiago used a peer-to-peer Internet file sharing program to download images of child pornography. On October 15, 2009, agents with the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force conducted a court-authorized search of Santiago’s residence and seized Santiago’s laptop computer and other computer-related evidence. Forensic analysis of the seized computer revealed at least 15 images files and 22 video files depicting child pornography, including images of children under the age of 12 engaged in sexual conduct.
On November 9, 2011, Santiago waived his right to indictment and pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.

Binghamton, NY
United States Attorney Richard S. Hartunian announced that as a result of an investigation conducted by the Southern Tier Cyber Predator Task Force (STCPTF) defendant Brandon Himko, 26, of Johnson City, New York, pleaded guilty today in Federal Court in Binghamton, New York. Defendant Himko pleaded guilty to receiving material involving the sexual exploitation of a minor in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(2) & (b)(1).

During the plea proceeding, defendant Himko admitted the following facts. In December 2011, Brandon Himko contacted a 16-year-old girl (hereinafter the Victim) via the social networking site called Facebook. Himko and the Victim chatted online via Facebook. Himko next commenced to communicate with the Victim via texting from his cellular telephone to her cellular telephone. The Victim informed defendant that she was only 16 years of age. Defendant and the Victim exchanged hundreds of text messages to each other in December 2011 via cellular telephones. Many of the text messages exchanged between defendant and the Victim were sexual in nature and involved sexual content. Also in December 2011, Himko, using his cellular telephone camera, photographed his penis and sent the images of his penis to the Victim via texting SMS/MMS on his cellular telephone.

The Victim received the images of Himko’s penis on her cellular telephone as sent by Himko. Himko requested that the Victim send him sexually explicit images of herself. In December 2011, the Victim, using her cellular telephone camera, photographed a close-up of her vagina and sent the image of her vagina to Himko via texting SMS/MMS on her cellular telephone. Himko received the image of the Victim’s vagina on his cellular telephone as sent by the Victim. Himko saved the image of the Victim’s vagina to Himko’s Sprint picture mail account where he could access and view it through his Sprint account. Thereafter, Himko requested that the Victim send him additional sexually explicit images of herself via her cellular telephone. At all times in December 2011 while Himko communicated with the Victim, Himko was a level-3 registered sex offender and was registered with the New York State Sex Offender Registry. Himko’s sex offender registration resulted from his April 11, 2008 felony conviction for rape in the Second Degree. Himko’s prior conviction stemmed from a rape of a minor.