A Kalispell man has pleaded guilty to a receipt of obscenity charge after law enforcement found child pornography on two of his computers.
Dustin Roy Gilpin, 33, pleaded guilty in front of U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen in Missoula on March 18.
The investigation into Gilpin began after a Madison County sheriff’s deputy determined that an IP address in Kalispell was offering known child pornography for download over the Internet. The IP address was traced to Gilpin’s residence, and a subsequent search on July 3, 2012 yielded two computers.
Both machines contained “image files which depict obscene matters of indecent character, specifically children engaged in sexual conduct.” Investigators determined that some of the files were associated with the peer-to-peer file sharing service, LimeWire. The files on one computer were created between May 2012 and July 2012, while the files on the other were created between Sept. 29, 2011 and March 13, 2012.
Gilpin faces a potential five-year prison sentence, with three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Sentencing is set for July 2. Gilpin is currently released from custody on special conditions.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.