Former BYU-I student gets prison time for sharing child pornography

REXBURG — A 23-year-old man has been sentenced aft he pleaded blameworthy to sharing kid pornography online.

Ryan Pugh was sentenced by District Judge Steven Boyce to a minimum of 2 and half years and a maximum of 12 and a half years successful prison.

He will beryllium required to salary astatine slightest $2,591 successful tribunal costs and fines and must registry arsenic a activity offender.

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Pugh initially pleaded not blameworthy to 3 counts of willfully possessing kid intersexual exploitative worldly and 3 counts of felony distribution of kid sexually exploitative material.

He later accepted a plea agreement, wherever he agreed to plead blameworthy to 1 count of felony willfully possessing kid intersexual exploitative worldly and 1 count of felony knowingly distributing kid sexually exploitative material, successful speech for nan prosecution agreeing to disregard nan different counts and urge nary much than a minimum of 3 years successful situation astatine sentencing.

The investigation into Pugh began successful January erstwhile a Madison County Sheriff’s lawman received a extremity from nan National Center for Missing and Exploited Children saying they discovered 2 files of kid pornography that originated successful Rexburg connected nan website Discord, according to tribunal documents.

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Police reports opportunity Pugh was listed arsenic a existent BYU-Idaho student astatine nan clip of nan arrest. University spokesperson Brett Crandall tells EastIdahoNews.com Pugh is now a erstwhile student.

The lawman searched Pugh’s email and allegedly recovered different image of kid pornography from Dec. 7, originating from Snapchat.

On Feb. 13, nan lawman received much accusation aft sending a warrant to Discord, showing conversations betwixt Pugh and different users discussing trading images of kid pornography.

According to tribunal documents, Pugh sent a intersexual photograph of a young woman betwixt nan ages of 15 and 17. Another personification asks Pugh, “Do you person younger?” and Pugh replies, “Yes. You?” The 2 past asked to waste and acquisition photos.

Pugh responded pinch a video of 2 young girls betwixt nan ages of 13 and 16 acting successful a intersexual manner.

When asked what types of videos he has, Pugh reportedly replied “teens” betwixt nan ages of 15 and 17. He past says, “I person a full mega folder.” Other conversations show Pugh sharing aggregate photos of nude girls.

On March 7, nan Madison County Sheriff’s Office served a warrant astatine Pugh’s location and transported him to beryllium interviewed.

Pugh reportedly admitted nan Discord relationship was his. When asked if nan relationship contained kid pornography, he reportedly replied, “Yeah, location will beryllium some.”

When asked astir nan ages of nan children successful nan images and videos, he reportedly said they were betwixt 14 and 18 years old. He besides allegedly admitted to sending kid porn to “unknown users.”