ROCK ISLAND, Ill. Scott Brian Griffith, 54, of Port Byron, Ill., has been sentenced to 20 years (240 months) in prison for possessing, receiving and distributing child pornography. U.S. District Judge Sara L. Darrow sentenced Griffith on Jan. 31, 2018. Judge Darrow also ordered that Griffith remain on supervised release for 15 years following his release from incarceration. Griffith will be required to register as a sex offender. Griffith has remained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since he was arrested on Mar. 31, 2016.
On Jan. 19, 2017, Griffith pled guilty to one count each of possessing, receiving and distributing child pornography. According to court documents, Griffith was first identified by law enforcement after he used multiple Twitter accounts to receive and distribute child pornography. Based on this information, the U.S. Secret Service obtained and executed a search warrant for his residence on Dec. 15, 2015. At the conclusion of that search, the Secret Service seized Griffiths computer. A forensic examination of Griffiths computer revealed the presence of images and videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The charges were the result of an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service; Moline Police Department; and the Illinois Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Donald B. Allegro and Kevin C. Knight prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as 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 the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
--DOJ Central District of Illinois
Source: U.S. Secret Service