A Las Vegas man was sentenced to prison Monday for maintaining two large collections of child sexual abuse material and distributing the material through a peer-to-peer network, the Department of Justice said.
Authorities announced that Randall William Rushton was sentenced to 97 months, or roughly 8 years, in prison followed by 35 years of supervised release.
The Department of Justice said in a news release that according to court documents, Rushton made available on two separate occasions over 600 total images and videos for download by other users of a peer-to-peer network.
“This defendant deliberately engaged in the sick, destructive trade of child exploitation, capitalizing on the unimaginable suffering of innocent children,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sigal Chattah for the District of Nevada said in the release. “Today’s lengthy sentence ensures that a dangerous, unrepentant predator is stripped of his freedom and permanently cut off from fueling this vile digital marketplace. We will never stop hunting down and aggressively prosecuting those who profit from the abuse of the most vulnerable among us.”
Rushton also possessed over 11,000 images and videos depicting sadistic or masochistic conduct, including infants and toddlers and children under the age of 12, the release stated.
Rushton pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. He will be required to pay restitution to his victims and to register as a sex offender.
“Randall William Rushton’s sentence underscores the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting our most vulnerable citizens – our children,” said Special Agent in Charge Christopher S. Delzotto for the FBI Las Vegas Field Office. “Furthermore, it serves as a definitive reminder of our relentless pursuit of perpetrators who exploit youth. Our communities are undeniably safer with this individual incarcerated. Expelling those who prey on others, especially children, is paramount to public safety and reinforces our steadfast dedication to shielding the innocent from these insidious crimes.”
