TACOMA, WA – Today Pierce County Prosecutor Mark Lindquist charged Ngoc Van Tran, 24, with Dealing in Depictions of Minors Engaged in Sexually Explicit Conduct. The defendant was arrested after chatting online with an undercover police detective who was posing as a man interested in child porn.

On October, 11, 2013, the Tacoma Police Department received an anonymous tip that a man posted an ad on Craigslist in search of “pedo porn or the real deal.” The detective created an email account and began corresponding with the defendant. The defendant told the detective that he was a “pedophile,” and although “a lot of pedophiles are into the whole boy love aspect, I’m not; I just wanna use them.” The defendant sent the detective a video, which showed a male toddler being molested by an adult male. When requesting videos from the detective, the defendant asked, “Any vids? Care to share some? Younger the better.”

Police tracked the defendant to his Puyallup home and searched his residence. He admitted that he has shared images multiple times with people who answer his Craigslist postings. The defendant said he knew he was taking a risk by posting ads on Craigslist, but he “really wanted to find it.” He admitted that he was interested in boys under 13 years of age. Detectives were able to search the defendant’s phone for evidence after he provided them with his sexually-explicit password.

The defendant was arraigned today and bail was set at $100,000. Charges are only allegations and a person is presumed innocent unless he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.