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Crime & Courts

Hardin Man Sentenced to Over 4 Years in Federal Child Pornography Case

Randall Allen Flatlip received four years and nine months in prison in an open, developing federal case.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 10:29 a.m. ET
On Aug. 13, 2026, 36-year-old Hardin resident Randall Allen Flatlip was in U.S. District Court to four years and nine months in prison followed by eight years of supervised release, according to an official release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana. Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith announced the sentence, noting that Flatlip was also ordered to pay $10,100 in special assessments. Flatlip pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of possessing child pornography in a proceeding before U.S. District Judge William M. Mercer. Official court records state that a cyber tip in July 2022 alerted authorities that Flatlip had downloaded a video depicting a child under 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators obtained a search warrant for Flatlip's email, where they found multiple images and videos deleted prior to the search, and interviewed a former roommate who reported seeing him watch Child Sexual Abuse Material on a mobile tablet. The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The prosecution was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006.

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  1. Version 120 Aug 2026, 14:29current

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