Being a registered sex offender is a shameful label that sticks for a lifetime. However, a 33-year-old sex offender from Columbus, Ohio, who had fallen to a new low by downloading child pornography, has been sentenced to 136 months in prison.
Donald McFall, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography and will serve his sentence without the possibility of parole. His sentencing comes as a result of a 2018 investigation that focused on the sharing of child pornography on peer-to-peer file-sharing platforms. McFall has two earlier convictions related to sexual offenses.
"For those who engage in the evil world of producing and consuming child sexual material online: Law enforcement agents are looking for you, they will find you and we will prosecute you to the fullest extent allowed by the law," US Attorney Charlie Peeler said in a statement.
Downloading Child Pornography
McFall's misdeeds came to light during an investigation conducted by a detective associated with the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The investigation conducted in January 2018 dealt with the downloading and trading of child pornography through peer-to-peer file-sharing networks.
Through the use of a peer-to-program designed specifically for law enforcement, it was found that from an IP address belonging to a house in Columbus, Georgia, 20 files related to child pornography were downloaded. The IP address was tracked down to McFall.
Following the discovery, a search warrant was executed at McFall's home in March 2018. After finding child pornography on his phone, McFall was arrested and taken into custody. Eventually, he confessed to possessing over 600 pornographic images of children on devices such as his cell phone and computer. What was alarming, however, was the inclusion of pornography that involved prepubescent children.
A Registered and Repeat Offender
In 2015, McFall was convicted in the Circuit Court of Russell County, Alabama, for sexual abuse. Again, in 2016, he was convicted of felony failure to register as a sex offender in Muscogee County Superior Court. After being released from prison, McFall will have to remain registered as an offender under the Sex Offender Registration Act. Failure to register as one as mandated by federal law will lead to prosecution, and draw penalties such as fines and even imprisonment.
Talking about McFall's repeated offenses, Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, said, "Now he will pay a further price and will not be able to threaten any more children during his federal incarceration."
