A Spokane man who stockpiled what authorities describe as a violent trove of child sexual abuse material has been handed a 15-year federal prison sentence.
Steven Eric Prestwood, 39, was sentenced on March 11 to 180 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to receipt of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Thomas O. Rice also ordered a lifetime term of supervised release and restitution to identified victims. Investigators say Prestwood’s collection ran into the thousands of files, with much of the material described as especially violent.
How Investigators Say They Tracked the Files
According to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office, the case started with tips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in April 2025. Those tips flagged uploads tied to an online messaging account that investigators say was associated with Prestwood.
Deputies arrested Prestwood and seized a cellphone. A forensic examination reportedly uncovered hundreds of images and videos, many of which NCMEC had already linked to known victims. The county’s release notes that much of the material was described as “especially violent,” including depictions of torture.
FBI Seattle Calls Case “Extremely Disturbing”
W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office, called the case “extremely disturbing” and said Prestwood maintained “thousands of meticulously organized images and videos,” according to a post from FBI Seattle. Herrington also used the post to praise investigators and prosecutors for holding “dangerous child predators accountable,” highlighting the multi-agency work that led to the sentence.
Sentence Details, Restitution and Prior Record
Judge Rice imposed 180 months in federal custody, to be followed by lifetime supervised release, and ordered $72,000 in restitution for the known victims, according to the Spokane County release. The same release notes that Prestwood had a 2021 Spokane County Superior Court conviction for possession of depictions of minors and that he was not in compliance with sex-offender registration requirements when the federal offense occurred.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Alison L. Gregoire of the Eastern District of Washington.
Recent Cases and the Federal Playbook
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Washington has recently pushed for similarly lengthy sentences in child exploitation prosecutions. A Spokane case in December 2024 also resulted in a 15-year federal sentence for possession of child pornography, reflecting the office’s approach to these crimes.
Cases like Prestwood’s are often pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative that coordinates federal, state and local efforts to identify victims, support them, and bring offenders to justice. The U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Washington and Project Safe Childhood provide additional information on those efforts.
Legal Tools and Ongoing Fallout
Federal law allows courts to order restitution to victims of child sexual abuse material, impose mandatory special assessments, and require lengthy supervised-release terms. Separate statutes make failing to comply with sex-offender registration requirements a federal issue that can bring extra penalties.
Those tools, along with Department of Justice victim-assistance guidance, help shape how judges and prosecutors calculate restitution, supervision conditions and other consequences in cases like this.
The FBI Seattle account publicly highlighted Prestwood’s sentence and praised the multi-agency investigation. Spokane County officials, for their part, said they will continue working with NCMEC to identify additional victims and pursue any related leads that emerge from the digital evidence.
