Hardin man sentenced to over 4 years in prison for possessing child pornography

BILLINGS - A Hardin man who had downloaded Child Sexual Abuse Material was sentenced today to four years and nine months in prison, followed by eight years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said. He was also ordered to pay a total of $10,100 in special assessments.

Randall Allen Flatlip, 36, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of possessing child pornography.

U.S. District Judge William M. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that a cyber tip in July 2022 alerted authorities that Flatlip, who was living in Hardin, had downloaded a video depicting a child under 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators received a search warrant for Flatlip's email where they learned multiple images and videos had been deleted prior to the search. Investigators interviewed a former roommate who said she once saw Flatlip watching Child Sexual Abuse Material on a mobile tablet.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The FBI 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.