Post Falls man indicted after police seize child porn at his home

A federal grand jury indicted a 26-year-old Post Falls man Wednesday, after law enforcement found pornographic material on his electronic devices depicting a 6-year-old at his residence.

Zachary D. Perpinan faces charges of sexual exploitation of a child, distribution of child sexual abuse materials, and possession of child sexual abuse materials, Idaho U.S. Attorney Bart Davis announced in a news release.

The investigation began with a U.S. Department of Homeland Security Homeland Security Investigations undercover operation on the dark web, where investigators identified a person posting child sexual abuse material images. Some postings claimed the child was 5 years old, and others said the child was 6, according to court records.

Investigators traced the source of the images to Perpinan’s residence.

Working alongside the Post Falls Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations searched the Post Falls home Oct. 10. There, they found Perpinan and a 6-year-old girl.

Law enforcement arrested Perpinan and seized multiple electronic devices investigators say contained child sexual abuse materials, including several images and videos of the 6-year-old.

Perpinan faces 15 to 30 years in federal prison if convicted of sexual exploitation of a child.

The case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation.