BOISE – Heath Adams, 43, of Payette, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a child, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today.

According to court records, the investigation into Adams began in August 2024, after a report was made to the Payette Police Department regarding allegations of sexual abuse.  As part of the investigation, Adams’ cell phone was seized and forensically examined by the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (“ICAC”).  The ICAC examiner located numerous files of child sexual abuse material that Adams had produced over several years, including explicit images of himself sexually abusing three separate minors.

Adams was initially arrested and charged in Payette County.  After his arrest, the Payette County Prosecutor’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office worked collaboratively to determine federal prosecution was appropriate. As a result, the state case was dismissed in favor of federal prosecution.

Senior U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also sentenced Adams to lifetime supervised release and ordered him to pay restitution to his victims. Adams will be required to register as a sex offender because of the conviction. Adams pleaded guilty in federal court on June 3, 2025.

“There is no greater betrayal than the sexual abuse and exploitation of children,” said U.S. Attorney Davis.  “We are steadfast in our commitment to work with state and local law enforcement partners to seek justice for child victims and hold child predators accountable for their egregious conduct.”

U.S. Attorney Davis commended the cooperative efforts of the Payette Police Department, the Payette County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and the Idaho ICAC Task Force, which led to the charges.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Blackadar prosecuted the case.

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