A Browning man was sentenced March 30 to 38 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release after he admitted to having child pornography images and videos on his phone, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Edward James Hovey, 30, pleaded guilty in November 2021 to possession of child pornography.
Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and ordered a $6,000 restitution.
According to court documents, a witness reported images of nude children on Hovey’s cell phone to a Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services officer, who seized the phone, which was searched pursuant to a warrant, in June 2021.
The phone contained images and videos of child pornography and Hovey admitted in an interview that the phone belonged to him, which he used to seek child pornography on the internet.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Cyndee L. Peterson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services.