Mountain Village Man Sentenced To Over 7 Years In Federal Prison For Possession Of Child Pornography

 Defendant Jason Van Hoesen possessed more than 10,500 child pornography images and videos

DURANGO – United States Attorney Jason R. Dunn announced that Jason Van Hoesen, age 46, of Mountain Village, Colorado, near Telluride, was sentenced today to serve 90 months (7.5 years) in federal prison, followed by 10 years on supervised release, for possession of child pornography.  He was also ordered to pay $60,000 in restitution.  During the course of the investigation, agents and officers recovered more than 10,500 child pornography files, including 281 videos depicting child pornography. 

According to the stipulated facts contained in the plea agreement, the investigation into Van Hoesen was initiated by Colorado’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.  On December 14, 2018, a specific web search engine reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that on November 15, 2018, an individual using a specific IP address uploaded a file of suspected child pornography.

NCMEC analysts reviewed and attempted to determine the jurisdiction for the incident reported.  Once the analysis was complete, a cybertip was securely transmitted to Colorado’s ICAC Task Force.  The Colorado Springs Police Department (CSPD) is the lead agency for this task force. 

Cybertips are received and then securely transmitted to the agency affiliated with the image for further investigation. Upon receipt of this cybertip, CSPD reviewed the uploaded image, which depicted a nude prepubescent minor boy approximately 6 to 10 years old.  A check through the American Registry for Internet Numbers reflected the IP address in question was registered to Mountain Village Metro Cable under the parent company of Centurylink. 

An administrative summons was served on Mountain Village Metro Cable for subscriber information.  Mountain Village Metro Cable provided an address on Mountain Village Boulevard.  The Mountain Village Police Department (MVPD) was notified of this information.  They in turn requested assistance with the investigation.  As such, a joint CSPD and MVPD ICAC investigation was initiated. 

On February 8, 2019, MVPD executed a state search warrant at the Mountain View residence where Van Hoesen and his roommate were contacted.  Law enforcement conducted a search of the roommate’s cell phone and computer, which revealed no child pornography. 

Van Hoesen confirmed to law enforcement his name and email address.  He also confirmed that he used the identified web search engine to upload a photo of a naked boy in November 2018. 

Numerous digital storage devices were located and seized within the Mountain Village premises.  They were later transported to the CSPD for further review.  A computer forensic review of the devices revealed that Van Hoesen had downloaded child pornography on several occasions and possessed more than 10,500 files depicting child pornography.  Van Hoesen had extensively organized his collection into folders, including folders containing images of infants and toddlers.

“This sentence is wholly appropriate for someone who was a willing participant in the victimization of thousands and thousands of young children,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn.  “Through the dogged work of the Colorado Springs and Mountain Village police departments, and the expertise of the NCMEC, a child predator has been taken out of our community for many years to come, and will be closely monitored upon his release.” 

Copies of all of the files depicting child pornography were provided to NCMEC, which reported that more than 4,400 files possessed by the defendant depict minor victims previously identified by law enforcement. 

This case was investigated by the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, in conjunction with the Mountain Village Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Alecia L. Riewerts and Jeffrey K. Graves.

Jason Van Hoesen was charged by Indictment on May 3, 2019, and pleaded guilty to the charge on July 6, 2020.  The sentence was pronounced by U.S. District Court Judge Robert E. Blackburn. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, 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.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.  Related court documents can be found on PACER by searching for Case Number 19-cr-208.