POCATELLO, ID – A 40-year-old man from Burley has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for producing child sexual abuse material, officials announced Thursday.

Michael Allen Montoya received a 360-month sentence from Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill following an extensive investigation led by the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and the FBI. Montoya was also sentenced to lifetime supervised release and ordered to pay restitution to his victims. He will be required to register as a sex offender.

According to court records, federal authorities began investigating Montoya after learning he was distributing child sexual abuse material via an online platform and engaging in explicit conversations about his interest in children. A federal search warrant was executed at his residence in Burley, where ICAC investigators recovered a significant amount of exploitative material. The investigation further revealed Montoya had created explicit images and videos involving an infant and an 8-year-old child in his care.

“This case illustrates that images of child sexual abuse are not just images – they are evidence of sexual abuse committed by predators like this defendant,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Justin Whatcott. “We are grateful for the outstanding professionals in ICAC, the FBI, and our office who are committed to protecting Idaho’s children.”

Attorney General Raúl Labrador praised the coordinated efforts of law enforcement. “Our commitment to protecting children from abuse is unwavering,” Labrador stated. “By working together, we can continue making Idaho safer by investigating, arresting, and prosecuting one bad guy at a time.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kassandra McGrady and Erin Blackadar as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. More information about the initiative is available at www.justice.gov/psc.