(Idaho State) U.S. Attorney Josh Hurwit announced the outcomes in two separate cases in which the defendants were sentenced to 19.5 years and 6.5 years in federal prison, respectively, for sex crimes against minor children.
Today, Daniel Wade Lowry, 34, of Notus, was sentenced to 235 months in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child.
According to court records, in September 2023, law enforcement became aware that Lowry was a member of an online group dedicated to the sharing of child sexual abuse material. Pursuant to a federal search warrant, law enforcement seized cellphones belonging to Lowry. Investigators located images and videos of child sexual abuse material on the cellphones, including sexually explicit images that Lowry had produced of a 5-year-old child. Investigators also determined that Lowry had posted the images of the victim in the online group.
U.S. District Judge Amanda K. Brailsford also ordered that Lowry serve 15 years of supervised release following his prison sentence and to pay restitution to the victims. Lowry will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of the conviction.
In a separate case, Sean Sterling, 28, of Nampa, was sentenced to 6.5 years in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material.
According to court records, the investigation began when law enforcement received CyberTip reports from Discord and Twitter. A CyberTip is a report submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC gathers leads and tips regarding suspected online crimes against children and forwards them to the appropriate law enforcement agencies. Law enforcement determined that Discord and Twitter accounts, later identified as belonging to Sterling, had been used to distribute child sexual abuse material.
Law enforcement obtained search warrants for the contents of Sterling’s online accounts and located and images and videos of child sexual abuse material, along with messages that Sterling had sent discussing his sexual interest in children. Law enforcement apprehended Sterling in Las Vegas, Nevada, and seized his cell phone and computer. Pursuant to a search warrant, law enforcement examined his devices and found additional images and videos of child sexual abuse material.
Judge Brailsford also ordered Sterling to be placed on supervised release for 15 years after the end of his prison term and to pay restitution to the victims in the files he possessed. Sterling will be required to register as a sex offender as a result of the conviction.
“The production and endless distribution of child sexual abuse material can haunt victims for life,” said U.S. Attorney Hurwit. “We are steadfast in our commitment to seek justice for child victims and hold child predators accountable for their egregious conduct. Our law enforcement partners share the same mission and together we will do everything possible to protect Idaho’s children.”
“There is no greater betrayal than stealing the innocence of a child, and these sentences are the result of the necessary investigative work to prevent the revictimization of the children in these images,” said acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Murphy, who oversees HSI operations in the Pacific Northwest. “It will always be a challenge to find child predators in the many places they may lurk online. HSI will always be committed to working with our partners in every aspect of law enforcement, along with using our private sector partnerships to prevent online crimes committed against children.”
Both cases were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Boise with assistance from the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The Boone Police Department in North Carolina, the Idaho State Police, and the Parma Police Department also assisted with the Lowry investigation. HSI partnered on the Sterling investigation with investigators from the Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office, with additional assistance from HSI Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Metro Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kassandra McGrady and Erin Blackadar prosecuted these 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. 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.
