Date: 12-18-2017

Case Style:

Case Number: 4:14-cr-00028-RRB

Judge: Ralph R. Beistline

Court: United States District Court for the District of Alaska (North Star Borough)

Plaintiff's Attorney: Andrea Whittier Hattan

Defendant's Attorney: Rex Butler

Description: Fairbanks, AK - Former Fort Wainwright Soldier Convicted of Distributing Child Pornography

A federal jury in Fairbanks convicted a former Fort Wainwright soldier of distribution and transportation of child pornography.

Kaleb Basey, 27, was found guilty after a two-day trial before U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Beistline. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 23, 2018, in Fairbanks. The maximum penalty for each of the two counts upon which Basey was convicted is not less than five years and up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and a term of supervised release of five years to life.

According to evidence presented at trial, in January 2014, Basey posted an advertisement within the “Casual Encounters” section of the Fairbanks Craigslist website that read: “any dads or moms want to share a daughter with me for the night?” Alaska State Troopers received a report about the ad and began an investigation, concerned that an actual minor might be in danger. Troopers identified Basey as the person who posted the ad in less than 24 hours. He was also identified as being an active duty solider on Fort Wainwright.

Troopers contacted Army Criminal Investigation Division (CID) agents and executed a search of the defendant’s barracks room. Law enforcement agents eventually contacted the FBI for assistance. FBI agents were able to identify additional sexually-explicit Craigslist postings by Basey in which he sought access to minor children, as well as email communications in which individuals had responded to these sexually-explicit posts. In one set of emails, the defendant included a picture of child pornography, and told the person with whom he was emailing that he enjoyed watching movies that showed “young girls 5-15yo” engaged in sexual acts with adults. To this email string, the defendant also attached a fully-nude selfie. In a second email, the defendant sent a picture of child pornography to himself.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Alaska State Troopers, and Army Criminal Investigation Division.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices nationwide and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Outcome: Guilty

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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