Seattle man pleads guilty to federal crimes for creating sexually explicit images of young children

Seattle – A Seattle man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to three federal felonies connected to his creation and possession of sexually explicit images of children, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.  Cameron Bennett Scott, 53, pleaded guilty to enticement of a minor, possession of child pornography, and receipt of child pornography.  He faces a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life in prison when sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert S. Lasnik on July 30, 2021.

According to the plea agreement, Scott came to the attention of law enforcement in December 2018 when an internet service provider reported an internet address to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) for uploading suspected images of child pornography.  An investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force traced the images to Scott.  The investigation revealed that he had been communicating with a woman in British Columbia, Canada, about sexually molesting her children—both under the age of ten and he received files depicting their abuse. 

Law enforcement served a search warrant at Scott’s residence in August 2019, seizing two computers and his mobile devices.  An examination of his mobile device revealed that he had taken sexually explicit photos of a minor child in his residence in July 2019.

The woman in British Columbia is being prosecuted in Canada for the sexual abuse and exploitation of two minor children, as a result of the Seattle Police Department and Homeland Security investigation. 

Enticement of a minor is punishable by a mandatory minimum ten years in prison and up to life in prison.  Receipt of child pornography is punishable by a mandatory minimum five years in prison and up to twenty years in prison.  Possession of child pornography is punishable by up to twenty years in prison.

The case was investigated by the Seattle Police Department and Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) as part of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson.

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 United States Attorneys Offices and the Criminal Division’s 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.justice.gov/psc.