Plains Main Admits Child Pornography Crimes

MISSOULA – A Plains man accused of making and transporting child pornography videos pleaded guilty to charges today, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

David Paul Farrar, 58, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and transportation of child pornography. Farrar faces a minimum mandatory 15 years to 30 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and a minimum mandatory five years to life of supervised release on the sexual exploitation count and a minimum mandatory five years to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and at least five years to life of supervised release on the transportation of child pornography count.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided. Sentencing has been set for November 20, 2020 in Missoula.  Farrar is s detained pending further proceedings.

In court documents filed in the case, the prosecution said that while Farrar was away in Idaho in June 2019, he allowed a friend to stay at his home in Plains. The friend viewed electronic storage cards found in Farrar's house and saw that they contained sexually explicit photographs of a female child. The friend reported her findings to law enforcement.

An agent with Homeland Security Investigations obtained a search warrant for Farrar's residence and seized multiple computers and electronic storage devices. An analysis of the items seized determined they contained video files of the victim and were created sometime in 2013 or 2014. The videos were created using a cell phone or digital camera and contained lewd and lascivious images of the victim. Agents determined Farrar created the videos because the viewer can see his hand and hear his voice. Farrar also admitted to agents that he created the videos of the victim.

Agents also found a video of two other minor girls that contain lewd and lascivious images. The investigation determined that Farrar electronically transferred that video to a file on one of his computers.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee Peterson is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by HSI.

This case was initiated under the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, which was launched in 2006 to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children. Through a network of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and advocacy organizations, Project Safe Childhood attempts to protect children by investigating and prosecuting offenders involved in child sexual exploitation. It is implemented through partnerships including the Montana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The ICAC Task Force Program was created to assist state and local law enforcement agencies by enhancing their investigative response to technology facilitated crimes against children.