Richland, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Larry Jay Halls, age 54, of the Tri-Cities, was sentenced today after pleading guilty to Receipt of Child Pornography. United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke imposed a sentence of 78 months imprisonment to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. Judge Dimke also imposed $12,000 in restitution.
Judge Dimke’s comments at sentencing focused on the impact on the victims and how the children in this case have been affected for the rest of their lives. Judge Dimke also highlighted the fact that Halls distributed 10,000 images and more than 600 videos to three separate undercover agents, demonstrating that Halls was distributing child pornography for a long period of time: “The quantity of images is substantial, but also the amount of particular victims’ images – the number of those images for any one victim is indicative of the viewer knowing how much abuse that victim was subjected to. That is significant to the court.”
In pronouncing the sentence, Judge Dimke emphasized that Mr. Halls apologized to her, but never once apologized or expressed remorse for what happened to the victims depicted in the child pornography Mr. Halls possessed and distributed.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, in February of 2021, investigators with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) linked image and video files depicting the sexual abuse of children (child pornography) on a file sharing program with an IP address assigned to Halls’s address in Kennewick, Washington.
On March 18, 2021, investigators executed a search warrant at Halls’s residence and located a desktop computer. The on-scene forensic examiner previewed the device and discovered it was actively downloading child pornography utilizing the aforementioned file sharing program. Ultimately, a forensic analysis of the desktop computer seized from Halls’s residence revealed more than 600 images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.
When Halls was interviewed by investigators, he admitted to downloading files depicting the sexual abuse of children as early as 2018. Furthermore, Halls told investigators he had looked at such files twice the day before the search warrant was executed and that he had developed a sexual interest in children.
Following his guilty plea, while on pre-sentence release, Halls violated specific court ordered conditions designed to keep the community, and specifically, children within the community, safe. In July of 2023, despite a prohibition on loitering within 500 feet of any playground, park, athletic field or facility, Halls went to a miniature golf facility, a location frequented by children. Later that month, Halls left his home without approval from the United States Probation Office and went to a gas station directly across from an athletic field. During the same timeframe, Halls traveled to an unknown residence and apartment complex in violation of his monitoring requirements. On September 5, 2023, Halls’s pre-sentence release was revoked, and Halls was remanded into the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending his sentencing hearing.
“For years Mr. Halls sought out depictions of children being abused and then shared those pictures with others online. Following his arrest, Mr. Halls ignored the conditions of his release and traveled to locations where young children were present,” stated U.S. Attorney Waldref. “Today’s sentence sends a clear message to those who seek to victimize children: The U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners will continue to work tirelessly to seek justice for vulnerable populations.
“Each day HSI and its law enforcement partners bravely confront the harrowing reality of online predators,” said Special Agent in Charge Robert Hammer, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “Today’s sentencing serves as a reminder of the perilous landscape our children navigate online. Let us unite in our resolve to shield our most vulnerable from the dangers lurking in the digital abyss. Every click, every download, carries the potential to inflict harm. May this case embolden us to fortify our defenses and safeguard the sanctity of childhood against those who would seek to exploit it.”
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Southeast Regional Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (SER-ICAC). This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Alison Gregoire and Laurel Holland.
