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May 7, 2007
Burnsville man sentenced to 750 years in federal prison on child pornography charges
MINNEAPOLIS - Bruce W. Betcher, 53, of Burnsville, Minn., was sentenced today to a total of 750 years in federal prison, following an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) investigation. Betcher was convicted in May 2006 on 24 counts of manufacturing child pornography, one count of receiving child pornography, and one count of possessing child pornography. The total sentence consisted of 30 years on each of the 24 manufacturing counts, 20 years on the receipt count, and 10 years on the possession count, with each sentence to be served consecutively.
In imposing the sentence today, James M. Rosenbaum, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court in Minneapolis, called Betcher's crime "an utterly unconscionable act." He also said of Betcher's criminal behavior, which involved taking digital photographs of minor relatives engaged in sexually explicit conduct, "There are some crimes for which there is no excuse."
"Identifying those who sexually exploit children is one of the most important responsibilities we have," said Claude Arnold, special agent in charge of the ICE office in Bloomington, Minn. "By working closely with our law enforcement partners, ICE agents were able to trace the child pornography images discovered in Atlanta to their origins in a Burnsville basement."
Betcher was arrested following an intense investigation that began when 78 images of child pornography were found on a computer seized by law enforcement officers in Atlanta, Ga. In one of those pictures, a Brownie uniform was visible. Through computer forensics and investigation, the uniform was identified as belonging to a Minnesota troop member. Based on that information, the girls involved in the picture were ultimately identified, and Betcher was named as a suspect.
On Sept. 19, 2005, a state search warrant was executed at Betcher's Burnsville home, where, among other things, investigators seized three computers, one of which housed a collection of child pornography, and an Olympus camera, which was used to take the pornographic pictures of the girls. According to a superseding indictment filed in this case, Betcher produced no fewer than 29 images of child pornography, all in his house. Betcher was arrested for his crimes on Sept. 23, 2005, and has remained incarcerated ever since. In May 2006, after a weeklong jury trial, he was found guilty on all 26 counts filed against him.
While ICE led the investigation, the Burnsville Police Department, the Dakota County Sheriff's Office, and the Minnesota Internet Crimes Against Children (MICAC) Task Force provided tremendous assistance.
The MICAC was created in 2000 through a grant from the U.S. Justice Department's Internet Crimes Against Children program. The MICAC Task Force is one of 46 federally funded task forces in the country dedicated to this issue. The number of law enforcement agencies participating in the MICAC Task Force reflects the strong commitment Minnesota has made to its children and their safety.
This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a comprehensive ICE nationwide initiative to safeguard children from foreign national pedophiles, international sex tourists, Internet child pornographers, and human traffickers. Since Operation Predator was launched in July 2003, ICE agents have arrested more than 9,800 individuals nationwide, including more than 240 in Minnesota.
To enhance efforts to protect children, ICE has formed partnerships with several non-governmental organizations, including the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and World Vision's child sex tourism prevention project, to provide prevention and deterrence information to the public.
Members of the public wishing to report suspicious activity may contact ICE at 1-866-DHS-2ICE or Operation.Predator@dhs.gov. Additionally, NCMEC can be contacted at 1-800-843-5678 or at www.cybertipline.com. Additional information about the operation is posted at www.ice.gov.
-- ICE --
