Missoula man sentenced to more than 16 years in prison for distributing child pornography

MISSOULA - A Missoula man who admitted distributing Child Sex Abuse Material (CSAM) online was sentenced today to 16 years and eight months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Johnathan Key Tucker, 39, pleaded guilty in March 2026 to distributing and receiving child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Tucker collected over 27,000 images of Child Sex Abuse Material and distributed at least three CSAM videos.

Tucker was on probation after having been convicted in 2014 of child sex abuse and surreptitiously watching someone without their knowledge. His parole officer, while meeting with Tucker on Sept. 11, 2023, became suspicious that Tucker was using an unauthorized phone.

The officer went to Tucker's home and searched his room where he found the phone. A forensic analysis found 27,000 images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct and screenshots that showed he had been using an online app to find the material. Analysis also showed Tucker had shared at least three videos with another user through the app.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney prosecuted the case. The Missoula Police Department conducted the investigation.

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 Justice.gov/PSC.