Crime & Courts

Anchorage man, 22, charged with possession and distribution of child porn

Anchorage police arrested a 22-year-old man Wednesday for possession and distribution of child pornography.

Jonathan Daniel Sabet faces four counts of distribution of child porn and a single possession charge, according to an Anchorage Police Department news release.

Sabet's bail was set at $15,000 cash plus a $2,000 performance bond. The court also required a third-party custodian if he posts bail.

An investigation began in April when a detective with the police department's Cyber Crimes Unit and members of the Alaska Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force were working undercover and received illicit videos from Sabet, according to the news release.

Several months later an FBI agent also received child porn from Sabet.

The task force consists of local, state and federal agencies that develop responses to "cyber enticement" and child porn cases.

On Wednesday, task force personnel served a search warrant on Sabet's West 23rd Avenue residence in Anchorage.

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"A preliminary search of his computer revealed numerous videos with file names indicative of sexual exploitation of children," the news release says.

Sabet worked as a Municipality of Anchorage lifeguard. His employment with the municipality has ended, police say. According to Sabet's Facebook page, he worked as a lifeguard at West High School. Parks superintendent Holly Spoth-Torres said in an email that Sabet worked at two Anchorage high schools. He worked at West from October 2010 to June 2012, then at East High School from July 2012 "until termination."

The city's Parks and Recreation Department said in prepared statement that Sebat passed two FBI background checks before he was hired.

Sabet's Facebook profile also lists employment at Camp Gorsuch, operated on Mirror Lake by the Great Alaska Council Boy Scouts of America.

Calls to the police department were not immediately returned.

Police are continuing their investigation and ask parents who believe their children may have had inappropriate contact with Sabet, or who have additional information, to call them at 786-8500.

Jerzy Shedlock

Jerzy Shedlock is a former reporter for Alaska Dispatch News. He left the ADN in 2017.

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