PHOENIX – A Phoenix man, Donald Dale Knuckles, was sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to two felony counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
In the first count, Knuckles admitted to possessing a sexually explicit video involving a child who was estimated to be less than 15 years old, according to the Attorney General’s Office. In the second count, Knuckles admitted to possessing a sexually explicit video involving a child who was estimated to be less than 10 years old.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Phoenix began looking at Knuckles in November of 2018 when they observed a computer that was sharing digital files containing graphic depictions of child sexual exploitation over a peer-to-peer file sharing network. After sending a subpoena to the internet provider, investigators received records that identified the computer as belonging to Knuckles. When agents served a search warrant at Knuckle’s home in February 2019, they observed a sexually explicit video of a child on an electronic device in his room.
Knuckles confessed to downloading sexually explicit content of children.
Knuckles will begin a term of lifetime probation upon his release from the Arizona Department of Corrections in approximately January of 2030. Knuckles will also be required to register as a sex offender when he is released.