Man gets 2-year term for pornography

A 22-year-old Kalispell man was sentenced Friday in federal court in Missoula to two years in prison for possessing child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy sentenced Tanner Eugene Osweiler to 24 months in prison with 10 years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment.

The sentencing concludes an investigation that culminated in a search of the Kalispell home of Osweiler’s parents in May 2009.

Agents with Homeland Security Investigations had looked into a peer-to-peer referral on the LimeWire file-sharing website and determined that a Web address in Kalispell had child pornography files available for download with subscriber information leading to the Osweiler home.

A subsequent forensic examination of the computer found child pornography video files that were downloaded by an individual using the “Tanner Osweiler” account, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Montana.

When interviewed, Osweiler admitted downloading child pornography using LimeWire, saying he would download about 15 videos at a time, watch them and delete them.

The press release states that Osweiler possessed 600 or more images depicting child pornography, some with pre-pubescent children and sadistic-masochistic conduct.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, sentencing guidelines mandate that Osweiler will serve all of the time imposed by the court, with potential to reduce his sentence by 15 percent for good behavior.

Osweiler faced a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine prior to pleading guilty to the charges last December.