A 40-year-old Martin City man accused of producing child pornography admitted to charges Tuesday in federal court, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Raymond Owen Bonner, Jr., pleaded guilty July 15 to one count of production of child pornography and one count of distribution of child pornography before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto.
He faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 to 30 years, a $250,000 fine, and not less than 5 years to a lifetime of supervised release for production of child pornography. He faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 5 to 20 years, a $250,000 fine, and not less than 5 years to a lifetime of supervised release for distribution of child pornography.
U.S. District Court Judge Dana L. Christensen will determine the sentence, which has been scheduled for Nov. 19, 2025. Bonner was detained pending further proceedings.
According to court documents, an undercover FBI agent in August 2024 found that a user had posted messages to a chat room in an application known for trafficking sexual abuse material in June and July of that year. The user, who was later identified as Bonner, stated he had access to a 6-year-old girl and was sexually abusing the child, who he was babysitting. He later posted images and videos of his abuse.
Investigators responded to Bonner’s address in Martin City on Sept. 5, 2024. Bonner fled the residence prior to law enforcement’s arrival.
FBI agents located the child who, along with others, verified Bonner was her babysitter and later identified Bonner as the person abusing her in the images and videos he distributed. Several devices, including a cell phone, were seized from Bonner’s home.
The images and video on the seized devices were consistent with those that were posted by Bonner in the chat.
Bonner was arrested on Sept. 19, 2024 when law enforcement located him.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney prosecuted the case. The FBI and Flathead County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.