Parkersburg Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Child Pornography Crime

 CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A Parkersburg man was sentenced today to six years in federal prison for distributing child pornography.  Upon his release, Timothy Paul Rapson, 39, will be required to serve a term of 20 years of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, Rapson previously pleaded guilty to using a peer-to-peer file sharing program to distribute child pornography on December 31, 2019. The investigation revealed that Rapson possessed over 76,000 images and videos of child pornography, many of which depict prepubescent minors.

Acting United States Attorney Lisa G. Johnston made the announcement and praised the investigative work of the Parkersburg Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Julie M. White handled the prosecution.

Senior United States District Judge John T. Copenhaver, Jr. imposed the sentence. 

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.