FAIRBANKS – A North Pole, Alaska, man was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Judge Ralph Beistline to 15 years in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for possession of child pornography after a prior conviction for sexual abuse of a minor.

According to court documents, Jason Patzke, 47, downloaded, accessed, and deleted pornographic videos depicting children as young as four and five years old engaged in sexual acts with adults.

In June 2018 the Federal Bureau of Investigation downloaded the videos in question from a BitTorrent account they later linked to Jason Patzke. During an interview with FBI detectives, Patzke admitted downloading child pornography images and videos. He stated that he deleted the images from his computer using a scrubber program.

Patzke was subject to increased penalties due to prior State of Alaska felony convictions for sexual abuse of an 11-year-old in 2001 and indecent exposure involving teenagers in 2004.  

“The streets and children in the Fairbanks area are safer today with Patzke in federal prison for the next 15 years,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bryan Wilson, District of Alaska. “We are committed to aggressively prosecuting and holding accountable those who create, possess or distribute child pornography, particularly those with a history of abusing children. We can never rest as long as even one child is being robbed of their childhood in this horrific manner.”

“Sexual exploitation of children is one of the most egregious offenses against one of our most vulnerable populations,” said Assistant Special Agent in Charge Adam Pierce of the FBI’s Anchorage Field Office. “The defendant knowingly exploited innocent children, including toddlers, for his own indulgence. Those who engage in such conduct should expect to be held accountable.” 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force conducted the investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Doty prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood combines 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 www.justice.gov/psc.

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