November 26, 2007

Oregon Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

PORTLAND, Ore. - An unemployed Aloha, Ore., man was sentenced today to five years in federal prison for possession of child pornography following an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The investigation of Frank Don Villa, 42, began after his girlfriend discovered images of child pornography on his computer and notified law enforcement agencies. During the course of the investigation, agents found thousands of images of pictures of children under the age of twelve and material that portrayed depictions of sadistic and masochistic conduct.

On March 24, 2006, Villa was arrested by ICE agents at Portland International Airport. He pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on July 30, 2007.

"Those who possess child pornography should know that ICE will use all of its law enforcement tools to bring them to justice," said Leigh Winchell, special agent in charge of the ICE Office of Investigations in Seattle. "ICE remains committed to investigating this behavior to prevent the exploitation of children."

Upon completion of his prison sentence, Villa will be subject to three years of supervised release.

ICE was joined by the Washington County (Ore.) Sheriff's Office in the investigation of this case.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of five integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.

  Last Modified: