Fort Bridger resident Tyelure Schroeder was sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography by the U.S. District Court in Cheyenne on Friday, Aug. 11. He will also be subject to multiple other penalties as a condition of his release. This stems from the case which was bound over from Third District Court earlier this year.

According to the sworn affidavit of Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Ryan Hieb, a cybertip linked to Schroeder was received on Aug. 9, 2022, from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

An account allegedly associated with Schroeder had uploaded 42 files depicting the sexual exploitation of children. A phone number and date of birth matching Schroeder’s information were also listed.

Hieb searched for the account in IP logs, and most of the account’s addresses seemed to use virtual private networks (VPN), or mobile wireless IP addresses. VPNs make it difficult for unauthorized people to view web traffic. Schroeder allegedly used Proton Mail, an encrypted mail service that prevents hackers and Proton employees from reading clients’ messages.

Hieb located the service provider connected to the phone number in the NCMEC tip and requested a federal summons for subscriber information. The internet service provider reviewed 14 files and flagged three others. An automated categorization based on NCMEC’s review identified 34 images as “apparent child pornography,” six images as “child pornography (unconfirmed)” and two as “unclothed children.”

Hieb reviewed the 14 files which had been previously reviewed by the service provider and determined that the files depicted early pubescent and prepubescent females. Hieb then observed the images flagged by the computer categorization.

On his latest sex offender registration form, dated Sept. 20, 2021, Schroeder listed a phone number and email address matching those on the NCMEC report.

Hieb read in FBI reports that, in 2014, Photobucket.com user “tyelure” uploaded at least 14 images constituting child pornographic material. Photobucket had sent a tip to NCMEC, and the FBI had geolocated an IP address used in that tip to the Lyman area.

When interrogated in 2014, Schroeder claimed he had first discovered child pornography by mistake, while searching for “younger looking girls” on the internet. He said he would search for it intentionally while inebriated. He was sentenced in March 2015 for possession of child pornography in Wyoming. He received 24 months in prison before five years of supervised release.

On Sept. 27, 2022, Hieb discovered a NordVPN account containing the information he was searching for. Hieb’s affidavit reads, “The account contained 31 image files constituting child pornography. Sixteen of those files depicted infants/toddlers.”

Hieb found that Schroeder’s latest sex offender registration did not report his email as required by state statute. Hieb obtained search warrants on Dec. 5, 2022, for Schroeder’s residence and person.

On Dec. 7, Hieb contacted Schroeder at his workplace. Schroeder reportedly fled and locked himself into the restroom, only to exit when Hieb began to force the door open. A methamphetamine pipe was found in the restroom after Schroeder surrendered. Schroeder was then placed in custody for an audio-recorded interview.

When asked about his email addresses, Schroeder claimed not to remember any of them. He said he believed his Google account had been hacked. When told he was under investigation for child pornography, he repeatedly claimed that his account had been hacked.

Schroeder’s federal indictment lists two counts of possession, one of which was dropped in accordance with the plea deal. The court recommended Schroeder serve his sentence in Sheridan, Oregon or, if that is not possible, Englewood, Colorado. They also recommended he participate in the Bureau of Prisons’ Residential Drug Abuse Program and the Sex Offender Management Program.

Upon release, Schroeder will spend 10 years in supervised release and submit to a drug test within 15 days of release. At least two periodic drug tests will take place after that point, subject to change if Schroeder indicates a low risk of substance abuse in the future.

Schroeder will be allowed to use computers and other internet-compatible devices after his release, but these must be compatible with probation office monitoring equipment. In addition, Schroeder will be limited to two internet-capable devices. He must disclose all usernames, identifications and passwords to his probation officer. He will be subject to unannounced searches and must keep a current inventory of electronic devices.

Schroeder will participate in an offense-specific evaluation and treatment program approved by his probation officer. He will also be subject to periodic polygraph testing and be prohibited from communication with anyone under 18 years of age, unless that person’s parents consent to the interaction.