25 years for Utah man who plead guilty in child pornography case

SALT LAKE CITY — A man from Woods Cross, Utah, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after he plead guilty to multiple charges involving child pornography.

According to the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah, Landon Germaine, 34, pleaded guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor. He also plead guilty to attempted sexual exploitation via the production of child pornography.

An investigation began in November 2018, in Bentonville, Arkansas after a woman told police she’d found explicit pictures and videos of her 11-year-old daughter on her daughter’s phone. 

The photos were also found on the social media platforms Snapchat, Periscope, Telegram, and Kik. Officials later traced the photos and videos to a username associated with Germaine.

Court documents from the U.S. District Court, District of Utah, northern division, indicate that Germaine “knowingly persuaded a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce a visual depiction.” 

Interstate commerce was involved in Germaine’s activities because materials that were mailed, shipped, or transported, including by computer, were used in the production of the pornographic material he admitted to making.

Germain was sentenced to 25 years in prison and supervised release for life upon completion of his prison sentence.

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