Three Defendants Sentenced to Over 26 Years in Federal Prison Combined
(Coeur D’ Alene, ID) U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced the results of three separate child exploitation cases in Northern Idaho today.
“I am proud of my office’s efforts to partner with law enforcement throughout our state to locate and bring to justice child predators,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “These cases involving defendants in North Idaho and North Central Idaho shows the reach of our collaborative efforts, and Idaho’s children are safer because of these results.”
- Registered Sex Offender in Moscow Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography
In one case, David William Peer, 47, of Moscow, was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography.
According to court records, in early 2024, law enforcement received cybertips from an email provider indicating that somebody using its email service was distributing child pornography from multiple related email addresses. Law enforcement traced the email addresses to a Moscow address where Peer lived. Peer was a registered sex offender on federal supervision for prior convictions in another state related to child pornography. In February 2024, law enforcement searched Peer’s home and found a cell phone belonging to Peer. A forensic analysis of that phone revealed that it contained over 1,000 images of child pornography. Analysis of the phone also showed that Peer was using privacy-focused search engines to access child exploitation websites on the phone while on federal supervision.
Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered that Peer be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life following his prison sentence. Peer pleaded guilty to the charge on June 17, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the work of the Moscow Police Department, the Latah County Sheriff’s Office, the Lewiston Police Department, the Nez Perce County Sheriff’s Office, and the FBI, which led to the charges.
- Lewiston Man Who Distributed Hundreds of Videos Sentenced to 9 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography
In another case, Eric Marshall Villa, 39, of Lewiston, was sentenced to 108 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography.
According to court records, in 2023, the FBI began investigating an individual who was exchanging child pornography with others online under aliases on Instagram and Telegram. The FBI determined that Villa was behind the accounts and, following the issuance of multiple federal search warrants,
searched Villa’s Lewiston home and vehicle in early 2024. Law enforcement found a phone belonging to Villa in his vehicle. A court-authorized forensic analysis of Villa’s phone revealed that he had received more than 750 videos of child pornography, distributed more than 550 videos, and distributed more than 100,000 files totaling more than 460 GB of data through links to an online file-hosting service.
Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered that Villa be placed on supervised release for 15 years following his prison sentence. Villa pleaded guilty to the charge on July 15, 2024.
U.S. Attorney Hurwit thanked the Lewiston Police Department, the Nez Perce County Prosecutor’s Office, the Moscow Police Department, and the FBI for their collaboration in this investigation.
- Rathdrum Man Sentenced to 7.5 Years in Federal Prison Following Online Child Enticement Sting
In another case, Donovan Vinton Nagle, 62, of Rathdrum, was sentenced to a total of 90 months in federal prison for two counts of attempted use of interstate facilities to transmit information about a minor.
According to court records, between June 30 and August 24, 2023, Nagle engaged in explicit online communications with an undercover agent from the United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, who was posing as the mother of an 11-year-old girl. Nagle expressed sexual interest in the fictional child, sent explicit photographs, and arranged to meet the mother and child for a sexual encounter at a hotel in Coeur d’Alene. On the day of the arranged meeting, Nagle drove from his work to the hotel, parked his vehicle, and began walking towards the hotel. Nagle, who was carrying a bag containing candy, ice cream bars, and energy drinks, was then arrested in the parking lot.
Chief District Judge David C. Nye also ordered that Nagle be placed on supervised release for the rest of his life following his prison sentence. Nagle pleaded guilty to the charges on July 15, 2024.
“Every child deserves to grow up safe, unscarred, in communities free of the threat posed by child predators,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “This sentence helps keep a dangerous predator off the street, and if we are to be effective at protecting our most vulnerable, it will take everlasting vigilance from HSI, our law enforcement partners, and the public to identify those that would attempt to exploit children.”
U.S. Attorney Hurwit commended the investigation by of Homeland Security Investigations and thanked the Idaho State Police for their assistance in apprehending Nagle.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Johnson prosecuted all three cases.
These cases were 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the Department of Justice, 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.
