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Pierce sentenced to six years

Sun News Service

A Truckee man was sentenced this week to nearly six years in prison on charges of distributing and possessing child pornography.

United States District Court Judge Garland E. Burrell, Jr. sentenced Kenneth Lynn Pierce, 47, to 71 months of federal incarceration. In addition, Pierce was required to pay a $10,000 fine, and he was required to pay a $200 special assessment to a victim/witness fund. After Pierce completes his 71-month sentence he will be required to serve a 3-year supervised release term. Pierce also will be required to register as a sex offender. Pierce was convicted of a similar offense over 14 years ago.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Miguel Rodriguez, who prosecuted the case, Pierce was arrested on February 2, 2000 and denied bail alter Magistrate Judge Peter A. Nowinski found Pierce to be a danger to the community.



Before his arrest, Pierce was employed at a Truckee area ski resort. He claimed to have managed and promoted a boys in-line skating team in San Jose, California. Pierce also claimed to have photographed and promoted actors who were minor males, both in the San Jose area and in the Truckee area.

The arrest followed the execution of a federal search warrant on January 26, 2000, at Pierce’s residence in Truckee.



According to Rodriguez, a computer system including a scanner, numerous diskettes, and other related materials were seized from Pierce’s bedroom pursuant to the search warrant. Pierce used these items to transmit and facilitate the transmission of his sexually explicit images of minors.

Pierce entered his guilty plea before Judge Burrell on April 14, 2000. At the entry of his plea, Pierce admitted that in October 1999 he contacted, via the Internet, an undercover officer posing as a minor male outside the state of California. During these communications, Pierce distributed child pornography and explained how to hide digital child pornography on different storage devices.

During the sentencing hearing it was revealed that Pierce unlawfully possessed approximately 1,200 images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Among the images possessed by Pierce were depictions of sadism, bondage and masochism. Judge Burrell sentenced Pierce to the highest sentence possible under the applicable sentencing guideline range.


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