LEWISTON, ID – A Lewiston man has been sentenced to 36 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography, following a federal investigation that traced illegal content to his devices via an online messaging app.
Ronald Lee Asker Jr., 57, was sentenced on Monday in U.S. District Court in Boise. The sentence follows Asker’s September 2024 guilty plea to one count of possessing child pornography.
The case originated from a CyberTip submitted to law enforcement in 2022, reporting that an individual in Idaho was using the Kik messenger app to possess child pornography. Investigators traced the Kik account to an IP address and Gmail accounts connected to Asker in Lewiston. A search warrant was executed at Asker’s residence in January of 2023 where authorities seized an iPhone 12 and a Microsoft Surface tablet, both of which contained images of child pornography.
Asker was not immediately taken into custody following sentencing. He is being permitted to show up to begin his sentence when directed to do so by the Bureau of Prisons.
The court also ordered a 15-year term of supervised release following his prison term, during which Asker will be subject to strict conditions, including prohibitions on contact with minors, internet access restrictions, mandatory sex offender treatment, and polygraph monitoring.
In addition to prison time, Asker must pay $9,000 in restitution to three victims identified in the case. He must also register as a sex offender.
The Bureau of Prisons was directed to place Asker at the federal correctional facility in Englewood, Colorado, where he will be eligible to participate in sex offender treatment programs.