Bonneville County man sentenced to prison for possession of child pornography

Attorney General Raúl Labrador announced that Jason Arthur Bergener, 44, has been convicted of two counts of sexual exploitation of a child by possession of sexually exploitative material (child pornography). Possession of sexually exploitative material is a crime punishable by up to ten years in prison. Bergener was sentenced on October 1, 2024, by Bonneville County District Judge Dane Watkins.

Judge Watkins sentenced Bergener to a total of ten years, including three years indefinitely and seven years indefinitely. Bergener was also ordered to pay a fine, court costs and the victims’ emergency fund. He will have to remain registered as a sex offender under Idaho law.

“Our ICAC investigators and prosecutors are working diligently to provide justice for these tragically young victims of such disturbing crimes,” said Attorney General Labrador. “I am grateful for the partnerships built and awareness raised across the state, and for the judges who take these crimes seriously when determining sentences. Protecting our community is a team effort and we have built a great team.”

In approximately August 2023, the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit received a CyberTip that files containing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) were being uploaded to a cloud account from a phone number associated with Bergener. After obtaining search warrants, agents searched Bergener’s devices and found several files containing CSAM. Of the files found, many depicted minor females ranging from approximately toddler age to twelve (12) years old, including some files depicting torture and slavery.

The investigation was led by Idaho Falls Police Detective Jared Mendenhall, who works in the Attorney General’s ICAC Unit. The case was prosecuted by Deputy Attorney General Madison Allen.

Original source can be found here.