Idaho Falls man sentenced to over 16 years for sexual exploitation of children

POCATELLO — Richard Neils Dutton, 52, of Idaho Falls, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 200 months in federal prison for sexual exploitation of children, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer and Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. announced today. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Dutton serve the remainder of his life on supervised release, following his prison sentence. Dutton pleaded guilty to the charge on November 4, 2020.

“Perpetrators who exploit our children prey upon the most vulnerable members in our society,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez. “The collaboration between local, state, and federal partners in this case shows our joint commitment to protecting children and holding predators accountable to the full extent of the law.”

According to court records, in January 2020, staff at a local elementary school reported that Dutton was sexually abusing minor aged children. A subsequent investigation discovered that Dutton had produced child pornography using a minor child. Investigators obtained a search warrant for Dutton’s electronic devices and discovered images of the sexual abuse taken on his phone. In court, Dutton admitted that he took the images. As a result of his conviction, Dutton will be required to register as a sex offender.

This case was investigated by HSI in Idaho Falls, Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and Idaho Falls Police Department. 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. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal 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.

HSI is a directorate of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 7,100 Special Agents assigned to 220 cities throughout the United States, and 80 overseas locations in 53 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.