Turangi man jailed for five years in US for child pornography

Federal agents were knocking on the door of Bobby Owens' residence the same day he shared images with an investigator. Photo / File

A New Zealander has been sentenced to five years in a US prison after sharing child pornography with a Homeland Security investigator.

The federal prison sentence is the mandatory minimum penalty, according to a report in the Bangor Daily News.

The report quotes the US Attorney's office as saying Bobby Mataara Owens, 41, of Turangi, shared sexually explicit pictures of children with a Portland-based Homeland Security agent.

Investigations revealed Owens was using an IP address assigned to a residence in Valley Village, California.

Court documents state a federal search warrant was obtained and executed later the same day. Owens was present at the residence, and admitted to sending the images to the agent earlier in the day.

It's understood Owens was in North Hollywood on a work visa with his son's band when the offence occurred nearly two years ago.

Owens was arrested on December 9, 2016, one week after he shared the photos with the investigator, who was posing as a man interested in child pornography, the Bangor Daily News reported.

He was taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport as he was preparing to board a flight for Auckland.

The case was prosecuted in Maine as the agent who received the photos was working there.

Owens pleaded guilty to the charge of transporting child pornography on September 1, last year.

In addition to the prison time, US District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Owens to 10 years of supervision on release.

However, Owens was unlikely to be on supervised release in the US as he had agreed to voluntary deportation after his prison term, according to the Bangor Daily News.

The US attorney's office recommended Owens be jailed for eight years. His attorney, Bruce Merrill of Portland, recommended the sentence which was imposed. The maximum sentence on the charge was 20 years in prison.

Owens has been held without bail since his arrest and the time in custody would be applied to his sentence.