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Emmett man sentenced to federal prison for child pornography

Rex Lanham III of Emmett administered social media groups where child porn was being shared. Images were also found on devices seized from his home.

BOISE, Idaho — An Emmett man who pleaded guilty to possessing child pornography faces 6 1/2 years in federal prison.

Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill on Wednesday sentenced 54-year-old Rex Lanham III to 78 months in federal prison, to be followed by 15 years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced Friday. Lanham also is ordered to pay $6,000 in restitution to the victims shown in the images that he possessed and forfeit the devices used to commit the offense. Lanham, who pleaded guilty to one count of child porn possession in December 2022, is required to register as a sex offender.

According to court records, the FBI determined that Lanham had been a member and administrator of social media groups where people were sharing child pornography over the internet. Agents obtained warrants to search Lanham's online account and to search his home in Emmett. They found child porn on the account and in devices seized from Lanham's home.

The court is recommending that Lanham serve his prison time in a federal facility in Inglewood, Colorado.

The Gem County Sheriff's Office and the FBI worked together on the case, which was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative led by U.S. Attorney's offices and CEOs. That nationwide effort against child sexual exploitation and abuse marshals federal, state and local resources to find and prosecute people who exploit children on the internet, and to identify and rescue victims.

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