Kalispell man pleads guilty to child pornography charges

MISSOULA - A Kalispell man who coerced an 11-year-old girl into sending him Child Sex Abuse Materials (CSAM) over Snapchat admitted to charges Wednesday, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Cameron Lee Powell, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of producing child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography. Powell faces up to 30 years in prison on the first count, a $250,000 fine, and over $70,000 in special assessments. On the second count he faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and over $50,000 in special assessments.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided and sentencing was set for Jan. 13, 2027. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Powell remained in custody pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents Powell used Snapchat to solicit explicit CSAM photos from an 11-year-old girl in May 2022. Once she sent the photos, Powell then threatened to share the images publicly if she didn't provide more. The girl told her parents, who then called police.

Law enforcement searched the girl's phone and found a history of her chat with Powell, who was pretending to be a sixth-grade girl. Using that information, law enforcement obtained a warrant and searched Powell's Kalispell residence in August 2022, where they found electronics with visual depictions of CSAM.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney is prosecuting the case. Homeland Security Investigations and the Flathead County Sheriff's Office helped conduct 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.