A New Zealand man has been sentenced to five years, the mandatory minimum, in federal prison for sharing child pornography on the internet, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Bobby Mataara Owens, 41, of Turangi, New Zealand, was in North Hollywood, California, on a work visa with his son’s band nearly two years ago when he shared sexually explicit pictures of children with a Portland-based agent with Homeland Security Investigations, according to court documents.
Owens was arrested on Dec. 9, 2016, a week after he shared the photos with the investigator, who was posing as a man interested in child pornography, court documents said. He was taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport as he was about to board a flight for Auckland, New Zealand.
The case was prosecuted in Maine because that is where the agent who received the photos was working.
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Owens has been held without bail since his arrest. That time will be applied to his sentence.
He waived indictment and pleaded guilty to the charge of transporting child pornography on Sept. 1, 2017.
In addition to prison time, U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen on Wednesday in Portland sentenced Owens to 10 years of supervised release.
Owens is unlikely to be on supervised release in the U.S. He has agreed to voluntary deportation after he completes his prison term, according to court documents.
The U.S. attorney’s office recommended Owens be incarcerated for eight years. His attorney, Bruce Merrill of Portland, recommended the sentence imposed. The maximum sentence on the charge is 20 years in prison.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. Project Safe Childhood utilizes federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
If you or someone you know needs resources or support related to sexual violence, contact the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault’s 24/7 hotline at 800-871-7741.