Billings, MT–A Montana man was sentenced Thursday to seven years in federal prison for possessing child pornography.
The U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme, District of Montana, announced this sentence. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Montana Department of Criminal Investigation, and other federal, state and local agencies.
Matthew Stoney Olson, from Circle, Montana, was previously convicted at trial of receiving and possessing child pornography. In early 2015, Olson routinely received child pornography by downloading it via a peer-to-peer sharing network. During that time, HSI special agents became aware of these downloads and obtained a search warrant for Olson’s home. Results of the search warrant discovered a large number of pictures and videos depicting child pornography on Olson’s personal computer.
In a sentencing memorandum filed in federal court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich stated that Olson represented a “predatory danger to the community” due to his “unwillingness to acknowledge his crimes and his refusal to seek treatment.”
“Children have the right to grow up free from exploitation by adults who film them and those who drive the market by purchasing the films. We encourage all Montanans to report situations to law enforcement where children may be at risk,” U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme stated.
U.S. District Judge Susan Watters sentenced Olson to seven years in federal prison, with five years of supervised release to follow. Because there is no parole in the federal system, Olson will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, Olson does have the opportunity to shorten the term of custody by earning credit for good behavior. However, this reduction will not exceed 15 percent of the overall sentence.
