Truckee resident Ken Pierce pled guilty April 14 in federal district court to distributing and possessing child pornography, according to United States Attorney Paul L. Seave.

Pierce entered his guilty plea before United States District Court Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr.

Pierce was arrested in Truckee on Feb. 2, and denied bail by Magistrate Judge Peter A. Nowinski. Before his arrest, Pierce was employed at a Truckee-area ski resort.

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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.

Authorities said that during these communications, Pierce distributed child pornography and explained how to hide digital child pornography on different storage devices.

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On Jan. 20, a federal search warrant was served at Pierce’s residence, where a computer system including a scanner, numerous diskettes and other related materials were seized from his bedroom.

Pierce used these items to transmit and facilitate the transmission of his sexually explicit images of minors, authorities charged.

According to prosecutor Assistant United States Attorney Miguel Rodriguez, Pierce faces a maximum of five years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a three-year term of supervised release for possession of child pornography.

For his distribution offense, Pierce faces a maximum of 15 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine and a three-year term of supervised release.

The case was investigated by the South Lake Tahoe Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.