Hardin man pleads guilty to possessing child pornography

BILLINGS - A Hardin man accused of possessing child pornography admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.

The defendant, Randall Allen Flatlip, 36, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography which carries a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years, a $250,000 fine, a $17,000 special assessment, a $5,000 special assessment, and not less than five years to a lifetime of supervised release.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy C. Cavan presided. U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing will be set for a later date. Flatlip was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that the government received a tip on July 3, 2022, that someone uploaded a video depicting child pornography to a Google account around June 25, 2022. The email address associated with the account was connected to Flatlip. The subscriber information for the email address included Flatlip's address in Hardin. When the government searched email accounts associated with Flatlip, they learned several images and videos had been deleted prior to the execution of the warrant. Moreover, law enforcement spoke with an individual that witnessed Flatlip access child pornography on electronic media when living in Hardin.

Flatlip was charged with possession child pornography in Utah in 2016, but was not convicted.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus is prosecuting the case. The FBI and BIA conducted 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.

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