A 50-year-old man was arrested in Duchesne County this week after FBI agents executed a federal search warrant at his residence as part of an investigation into the transmission of child sexual abuse material on the dark web.
Details of the federal investigation
According to an Affidavit of Probable Cause, FBI agents requested assistance on June 16 to execute the warrant at the Duchesne County home of Russell Dean Steinke. The investigation focused on information that Steinke had sent and received involving Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) via the dark web.
Seizure of electronic evidence
The Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office assisted federal agents during the execution of the warrant. During the search, authorities seized several electronic items, including a cellphone that was in Steinke's possession at the time.
Discovery of explicit material
During the extraction and subsequent search of the devices found on Steinke's cellphone, investigators located social media applications used to send and receive explicit images, including CSAM.
Suspect's prior criminal history
Upon reviewing Steinke's existing sex offender registry file, officers discovered that the file contained no listed social media sites, email addresses, or cellphone numbers. Steinke is currently listed on the sex offender registry due to a prior felony conviction for the sexual exploitation of a child occurring while he resided in Wyoming.
Confession during police interview
Following his arrest, Steinke was taken into custody and interviewed by FBI agents at the Duchesne County Sheriff's Office. During that interview, Steinke admitted to possessing CSAM as of three days prior to the investigation.
Pending federal charges and status
FBI agents informed Duchesne County officers that federal charges are currently pending and are expected to be filed within the coming week.
Steinke, 50, was booked into the Duchesne County Jail. He is currently facing 13 counts of providing false or incomplete information on his sex offender registry.
