Nebraska Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography

A Nebraska man was sentenced today to 35 years in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release for producing child pornography in 2016, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Kelly of the District of Nebraska.

Steven R. Carlson, 38, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter Jr.of the District of Nebraska.

According to admissions made in connection with his guilty plea, in May 2016, Carlson filmed himself engaging in forcible, sexual acts with a non-communicative minor.  A search warrant executed on Carlson’s residence resulted in the discovery of hundreds of images of child pornography involving minors including infants and toddlers.          

The FBI Cyber Crimes Task Force is investigating this case.  Trial Attorney William M. Grady of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael P. Norris of the District of Nebraska are prosecuting the case.

This investigation is a part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.