POCATELLO – U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced the outcomes in three separate East Idaho cases in which the defendants were sentenced to 21 years, 10 years, and 5 years in federal prison, respectively, for sex crimes against minor children.
“No one in Idaho law enforcement will tolerate this abhorrent conduct, and my Office is proud to continue our tradition of sending these types of offenders to federal prison, out of state, for long periods of time,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit.
On March 26, 2024, Jared Michael Crow, 24, of Idaho Falls, was sentenced to 257 months in federal prison for coercion and enticement of a minor. According to court records, on March 9, 2022, the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office began investigating Crow after receiving a report that he was having sexual conversations with minors at a high school in Idaho Falls. The case was referred for further investigation to the Idaho Crimes against Children Task (ICAC) Taskforce and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Eight minor-aged victims between the ages of 14 and 16 were identified. The investigation revealed that Crow followed a consistent predatory pattern of contacting minor females and providing alcohol, vape pens, and cash in exchange for sexually explicit images and sexual encounters.
“These child predators sought to exploit the most vulnerable, committing grave injustices that robs the victims of their youth,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “Through our law enforcement and private sector partnerships, we will relentlessly pursue those that commit child exploitation crimes, ensuring they face the full extent of the law.”
Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered that Crow be placed on supervised release for fifteen years following his prison sentence.
In a separate case, Shawn Michael Young, 50, of Pocatello was sentenced to ten years in federal prison for possession of child pornography, on March 26, 2024. According to court records, in April 2018, the Chubbuck Police Department received a report that child pornography had been found on a cell phone belonging to Young. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) reviewed the files on Young’s phone. A total of 4,438 images of child pornography, including prepubescent children, were identified on the phone. In an interview, Young admitted to downloading and viewing images of child pornography.
Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Young to be placed on supervised release for fifteen years after the end of his prison term.
“Shawn Young contributed to the proliferation of a deplorable crime. Every time an image is shared or viewed, that child continues to be victimized,” said Special Agent in Charge Shohini Sinha of the Salt Lake City FBI. “The FBI and our partners are committed to protecting our children from those who prey on our most vulnerable.”
In another separate case, Bradley Allen Pedersen, 41, of Rupert, was sentenced to five years in federal prison for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor on March 25, 2024. According to court records, between August and September 2022, Pedersen communicated via the internet with an individual that was portrayed to be a 14-year-old female. That individual was actually an undercover investigator with the Rupert Police Department and Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. During the online exchange, the investigator, posing as the child, informed Pedersen of the child’s name, where she lived, and that she was a 14-year-old female. Pedersen repeatedly requested to meet the child for sex. On September 16, 2022, Pedersen traveled to meet the 14-year-old female at a pre-arranged location. Pedersen was arrested when he arrived at the meeting location.
Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Pedersen’s prison sentenced to be followed by ten years of supervised release.
The Crow case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in Idaho Falls, the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office, the Idaho Falls Police Department, and the Idaho ICAC Task Force. The Young case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in Idaho Falls, the Chubbuck Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Pedersen case was investigated by the Rupert Police Department and the Idaho ICAC Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Paskett and former Assistant U.S. Attorney John Shirts prosecuted these cases.
These case 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. As part of Project Safe Childhood, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Idaho Attorney General’s Office partner to marshal 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.
