Christopher James Lane, 32, of Humansville, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 10 years in federal prison without parole.
On Aug. 31, 2017, Lane pleaded guilty to receiving and distributing child pornography between Sept. 13 and Sept. 15, 2016.
According to court documents, Lane came to the attention of law enforcement because his roommate observed child pornography on his cell phone. Investigators searched Lane’s cell phones and laptop computer and found hundreds of images of child pornography. Law enforcement also located animated child pornography, child erotica, and animated bestiality on the devices.
Lane’s collection, according to court documents, included animated child pornography (anime) that depicted animals having sexual intercourse with children featuring such characters as Inspector Gadget, Lilo and Stitch, and Scooby Doo.
The federal offense occurred after Lane had previously been under investigation for two separate instances of child molestation, at which time law enforcement officers located his Internet history revealing that Lane had logged onto child pornography websites.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force and the Polk County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
Project Safe Childhood
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
