By Lindsey Erin Kroskob
The Wyoming Tribune-Eagle
CHEYENNE — Child pornography charges against a former Cheyenne firefighter have been re-filed in U.S. District Court.
Joseph P. Golden, 31, is charged with one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography.
If convicted, he faces five to 20 years in federal prison for distribution of child pornography. Possession carries a maximum penalty of up to 10 years.
Golden pleaded not guilty to both counts last week. His trial is set for Jan. 17 at the Joseph C. O’ Mahoney Federal Center in Cheyenne.
Golden was released from custody last Tuesday on a $20,000 unsecured bond. He was ordered wear an electronic monitoring device.
He was arrested Oct. 5 by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation after agents traced an image of a nude elementary-aged girl to his home computer.
According to court documents, a man in Rawlins met another man using the Yahoo! screen name “cpl2play12" in a chat room. During their conversation, “cpl2play12" sent the nude image.
A month later, the special agent got information from a Fort Collins (Colo.) Police detective who said she had a file under the same Yahoo! screen name.
She reported that “cp12play12" had been in a chat room and discussed sexual acts involving an elementary-aged girl.
The local agent served Yahoo! with an administrative summons for information pertaining to “cp12play12,” and found the IP address for a computer in Cheyenne.
On Oct. 5, DCI agents executed a search warrant on Golden’s home and seized evidence pertaining to the sexual exploitation of a child, court documents show.
The criminal complaint says Golden was the sole occupant of the home at 1814 Meadow Drive.
Forensic investigators also found several images and videos on a thumb drive recovered from Golden’s home. They contained children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, documents say.
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