[Techtaffy Newsdesk]

An Ohio man was sentenced on Monday in Riverside, California, to 35 years in prison and lifetime supervised release for his participation in an online child pornography bulletin board.

Billy Wade Carroll of Dayton, Ohio, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Virginia A. Phillips.  In October 2011, Carroll, 51, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to advertise, solicit, transport, distribute, receive and possess child pornography and one count of committing a child pornography offense while being required to register as a sex offender in Ohio.

The sentencing is the result of an international investigation into the “Lost Boy” online bulletin board.  The Lost Boy bulletin board, according to court documents and proceedings, was dedicated to men who have a sexual interest in young boys and was established to provide a forum to trade child pornography.

Federal authorities, working in conjunction with a coalition of international law enforcement agencies, shut down the Lost Boy bulletin board approximately three years ago.  According to court documents, Lost Boy had a thorough vetting process for new members, who were required to post child pornography to join the organization.  Once accepted, members were required to continue posting child pornography to remain in good standing and to avoid removal from the board.

The investigation into the Lost Boy bulletin board was led by the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, in conjunction with the Los Angeles-based Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement (SAFE) Team.  The High Technology Investigative Unit of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, along with Eurojust also provided assistance during the investigation.