A CyberTip led to the arrest of an Idaho Falls man for 15 felony counts of allegedly possessing child pornography.
Ricky Lamar Craig, 59, was arrested Aug. 5 in Idaho Falls following an investigation that started April 23 with a CyberTip assigned from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force in Idaho, according to court records. Det. Korey Payne of the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office investigated the tip that Microsoft sent for an image uploaded to the Bing Visual Image Search feature on its website.
The tip led to an issuance of an administrative subpoena for an IP address and subscriber information that matched Craig’s apartment, according to the records. A search warrant covering his residence, vehicle and items on his person yielded thousands of images of child porn. A Samsung Note tablet had 570 images of child sexual abuse material. Another 7,386 images were found on a Dell laptop. An HP laptop contained more than 20,000 images and videos, covering a wide array of sex acts, authorities said.
Each charge against Craig carries a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine. Due to Craig’s criminal history that includes convictions of delivery of a controlled substance and possession of child porn each committed on Jan. 26, 1999, he faces an enhanced penalty as a persistent violator, according to the criminal complaint. That enhances his potential prison sentence another five years and said term may extend to life.
A mandatory minimum enhancement also kicks in for the prior child porn conviction, according to court records. That mandates a prison sentence of no less than 15 years per count that must be served consecutively. The images and/or videos that led to Craig’s arrest showed some girls as young as ages 2 and 3 to 6 and 8 being sexually abused.
Magistrate Judge John C. Dewey set Craig’s bond at $125,000 on Aug. 5, according to court records. After his release, Dewey ordered Craig to not access the internet or possess/use any internet-capable device. Craig is also ordered to have no contact with any minor child.
A preliminary hearing for Craig is set at 1 p.m. Aug. 19 before Magistrate Judge Wiley R. Dennert at the Bonneville County Courthouse.
