Montana’s US Attorney Announces End of Child Porn Ring Probe

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Montana has announced the end of a lengthy investigation that resulted in 21 convictions of men involved in an online forum created by a Polson man that allowed members to exchange child pornography.

The Missoulian reports the last of the defendants, 31-year-old Shawnston Beaudoin of Kennesaw, Georgia, was sentenced Thursday to 17 ½ years in federal prison.

Paul Wencewicz of Polson created an invitation-only bulletin board in 2009 where members advertised and traded sexually explicit images of girls. FBI agents and officers from the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force identified dozens of other suspects and the existence of a second bulletin board.

The 21 defendants across the U.S. were all sentenced from 15 years to nearly 19 years in prison.