(Spokane, WA) On February 5, 2025, United States District Judge Thomas O. Rice sentenced Zachary Peter Timm, age 32, of Spokane, Washington, to 15 years in federal prison for distributing child sexual abuse material. Judge Rice also imposed 10 years of supervised release and $48,000 of restitution to Defendant’s victims.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, on February 21, 2023, law enforcement acted on several tips that Timm had been uploading child exploitation material online. Agents executed a search warrant at Timm’s home in Spokane Valley and seized a computer and several smart phones. Investigators located more than 13,000 files of child sexual abuse material, including more than 1,000 videos on electronic devices. The images and videos included depictions of minors younger than the age of 12.
Agents also found chats between Timm and others online where they discussed and exchanged child sexual abuse material. Timm told some of these individuals he had sexually abused children in the past and expressed his desire to abuse more children in the future.
“Today’s sentencing sends a clear message that those who engage in the distribution of child sexual abuse material will be held fully accountable for their actions,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Murphy, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “Protecting children is our top priority, and we are unwavering in our commitment to bringing those who exploit and harm them to justice. This case reinforces that there is no place in our society for those who contribute to the abuse and exploitation of children, and we will continue to pursue justice with relentless determination.”
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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security, Washington State Patrol, and the Spokane Police Department, which make up the Eastern Washington Missing and Exploited Children Task Force (MECTF), a Washington State Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) affiliate. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ann T. Wick.
