Las Vegas, Nevada - A Henderson, Nevada, resident who pleaded guilty to receiving and possessing more than 47,000 images and videos of child pornography was sentenced today to nine years in federal prison, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada.
“As part of the Justice Department’s Project Safe Childhood program, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to the safety and well-being of every child in Nevada,” said U.S. Attorney Trutanich. “We will prosecute child sex predators who exploit the youngest and most vulnerable citizens and bring them to justice. We remain vigilant in our continued efforts to work with local, state, and federal partners to protect Nevada’s children.”
Robert William Surdel, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography, which carries a five year mandatory minimum sentence, and one count of possession of child pornography. In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Jennifer A. Dorsey ordered him to pay $40,000 in restitution to his victims and sentenced him to lifetime supervised release. Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, he will be required to register as a sex offender.
Between November 2016 to January 2017, law enforcement officers were able to download images and videos of child pornography from Surdel’s computers. On February 22, during the execution of a search warrant at Surdel’s residence, he admitted to downloading child pornography using the internet and peer-to-peer programs. A forensic analysis of the seized devices discovered 46,001 images and 1,291 videos of child pornography that he meticulously sorted by subfolders, source, and genre. The longest video recovered during the search was over 26 hours. In one image that was recovered, the victim was only between 9 and 18 months of age.
The case was investigated by the FBI and Henderson Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elham Roohani prosecuted the case.
To report an incident involving the possession, distribution, receipt, or production of child pornography, contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children by phone at 1-800-843-5678 or online at www.cybertipline.com.
