Former DHS Contractor Sentenced for Receipt of Child Pornography

(Alexandria, VA) - Peter W. North, age 54, of Alexandria, Virginia was sentenced to 78 months in prison for receipt of child pornography. North will also serve a ten year period of supervised release after his prison term and be required to register as a sex offender. Dana J. Boente, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington Field Office; and Colonel David M. Rohrer, Chief of Police, Fairfax County Police Department made the announcement following North's December 19, 2008 sentencing by the Honorable Leonie M. Brinkema, United States District Judge.

According to court documents, Peter W. North was a contractor providing information technology services to the Department of Homeland Security. FBI agents, using software and a database from the Wyoming Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, identified North as someone acquiring hundreds of child pornography images over the internet. He acquired these images using peer-to-peer file sharing software. On August 7, 2008, FBI agents executed a search warrant at North's residence in Alexandria, Virginia and recovered 80 gigabytes of child pornography depicting young and prepubescent females. Forensic examinations by the FBI and the Fairfax County Police Department also revealed child pornography movie files and still image files of minor females.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Child Exploitation Unit of the Fairfax County Police Department, with assistance from the Wyoming Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Gerald J. Smagala prosecuted the case for the United States.

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