Ketchikan man sentenced to 13 years in prison for distributing child pornography

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

0 1 minute read

The Dimond Courthouse building, which houses the Juneau offices of the Alaska Department of Law, Friday, May 27, 2022. (Photo by Lisa Phu/Alaska Beacon)

Warning: This story contains details of sexual assault.

A Ketchikan man has been sentenced to more than 13 years in prison for running an online group distributing child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Timothy Burgess in Juneau handed down the sentence to Walter Onstad, 46, last Wednesday. Onstad pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography in early 2023.

Alaska District Attorney S. Lane Tucker said in a written statement Wednesday that Onstad was responsible for sharing hundreds of images of child sexual abuse through a Kik messaging group called “Anything Goes “.

Onstad was an administrator of the “Anything Goes” newsgroup under the username “ironborn06”. In 2022, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip from Kik – the messaging site used by the pedophile group – that Onstad had sent a dozen images and videos of adult men sexually abusing minors under 12 years old. Some were infants. and toddlers.

Investigators later discovered that when new members wanted to join the group, they provided Onstad with images of child sexual abuse. Onstad would then personally check them, upload them to the group chat, and grant new members access to the group.

During the investigation, Onstad admitted to contributing to the distribution of more than 600 illicit images on the private messaging group, as well as on the Tumblr blog. Law enforcement says he was in possession of more than 300 images and videos when they seized his phone.

The criminal charge against Onstad involves distribution of child pornography. The state initially filed criminal charges for possessing the illicit images on Onstad's phone. Those charges were dismissed, although Onstad could be charged again in the future. It's unclear if any further accusations will come from the “Anything Goes” group. District Attorney Tucker said the DA's office will continue to hold people like Onstad accountable for the “incalculable damage they have caused.”