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Born: 1967
- Places lived: Utah,
- Crime: 2010s, in Utah,
- Convicted: 2010s, 2017,
- Mission: 1986-1988 Austria Austria Vienna
- Church positions: Missionary,
- Victims: Multiple victims, Unknown number of victims,
- Crime scenes: Online,
- Criminal case(s): Convicted, Plea agreement, Pleaded guilty, Prison,
- Civil lawsuit(s): No civil case,
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Donate »Summary
Laron Zaugg was a Mormon church member in Utah.
Zaugg went on an LDS mission to Vienna, Austria in 1986.
In April 2017, Zaugg was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM), formerly commonly referred to as child pornography, in 2014.
Also in 2017, Zaugg was convicted in Utah of first-degree felony attempted sodomy on a child, after a plea agreement. He was initially charged with two first-degree felonies.
He was sentenced to three years to life in prison.
Laron Zaugg is a second cousin (sharing the same paternal great-grandfather) of Jeffrey Zaugg and Scott Zaugg, two brothers who are also listed in the FLOODLIT database. FLOODLIT has not found a relation between these men and Krew Zaugg.
Sources
- Utah man sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to receiving child pornography,
- Ogden man sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for child porn charges,
- Australian investigation of Russian porn site lands Ogden man in prison,
- STATE OF UTAH vs. LARON THOMAS ZAUGG,
- Laron Thomas Zaugg,
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1. Utah man sentenced to 15 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to receiving child pornography
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah man was sentenced this week to serve 15 years in federal prison following his conviction in December for receiving child pornography.
This case was investigated by special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Laron Thomas Zaugg, 50, of Ogden, Utah, reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in December. He admitted that beginning about Aug. 26, 2014, and continuing until about Dec, 5, 2014, he received images and videos of child pornography on his yahoo email account. As a part of the plea agreement, he admitted knowing that the images included depictions of prepubescent children being sexually assaulted by adults.
“Under our active Operation Predator program, HSI special agents have removed another predator from the streets for a long time,” said John Eisert, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Denver, which includes Utah. “HSI special agents identify and target these predators to rescue and bring justice to their young victims, and help protect other children by apprehending these predators in our communities.”“This is a significant sentence for a child predator whose conduct represents a danger to children in our community,” U.S. Attorney John W. Huber, District of Utah, said today. “My office is committed to protect and advocate on behalf of the most vulnerable victims in our community – children.” According to Huber, 41 federal child exploitation cases were filed in Utah during 2016. Through March of this year, 14 new cases have been filed. Cases filed in federal court generally involve producing, distributing, receiving and possessing child pornography.
Zaugg was charged with receiving and advertising child pornography in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in April 2015. The charges followed information developed by the Queensland (Australia) Police Service during an undercover operation on a Russian photo-sharing site known for trading child pornography. Continued investigation by HSI special agents led officers to Zaugg’s home in Ogden. The Utah ICAC Task Force helped with executing a search warrant in the case.
In addition to his prison sentence, Zaugg will be on supervised release for life after he completes his prison sentence.
This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.
HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.
Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.
For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.
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2. Ogden man sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for child porn charges
SALT LAKE CITY — An Ogden man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison Friday for receiving child pornography in 2014.
Laron Thomas Zaugg, 50, was convicted of one count of receipt of child pornography and one count of advertising child pornography in December 2016 in U.S. District Court, a news release from U.S. Attorney John W. Huber’s office says. The conviction came after he accepted federal prosecutors’ plea deal.
Zaugg received images and video of child pornography on his Yahoo email account between Aug. 26, 2014, and Dec. 5, 2014. He was indicted by a grand jury in April 2015.
The charges followed an investigation started by Queensland, Australia, police during an undercover operation on a Russian photo-sharing site known for trading child pornography, the release said. The investigation led federal law enforcement officials to Zaugg’s home in Ogden.
As a part of the plea agreement, Zaugg admitted knowing that the images included depictions of prepubescent children being sexually assaulted by adults.
Zaugg will be on supervised release for life after his prison sentence ends.
In addition to the federal case, Zaugg was also charged in 2nd District Court in Ogden with one count of sodomy on a child and one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, which are both first-degree felonies. The charges were filed in August 2015, and he pleaded not guilty to them in February 2016.
Though more details about the local case weren’t immediately available through state records Friday, court documents say he’s accused of sexually abusing a child under the age of 14 between 2013 and 2015.
His next hearing is scheduled for April 26.
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3. Australian investigation of Russian porn site lands Ogden man in prison
SALT LAKE CITY — An Ogden man nabbed in an Australian undercover operation on a Russian photo-sharing site known for trading child pornography is heading to prison.
A federal judge sentenced Laron Thomas Zaugg, 50, to 15 years in prison this week after he pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography. The judge also imposed lifetime probation after his release.
“This is a significant sentence for a child predator whose conduct represents a danger to children in our community,” U.S. Attorney John Huber said.
Zaugg admitted that he received images and videos of child pornography on his Yahoo email account from August to December 2014. The images included depictions of prepubescent children being sexually assaulted by adults.
The charges against Zaugg came after a Queensland Police Service undercover operation on a Russian child pornography photo-sharing site. More investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations led officers to Zaugg’s home.
Federal prosecutors filed 41 child exploitation cases in Utah last year, and 14 cases have been filed through March of this year, Huber said.
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4. STATE OF UTAH vs. LARON THOMAS ZAUGG
SECOND JUDICIAL DISTRICT - OGDEN DISTRICT COURT
WEBER COUNTY, STATE OF UTAH
STATE OF UTAH vs. LARON THOMAS ZAUGG
CASE NUMBER 151901711 State Felony
CHARGES
Charge 1 - 76-5-403.1 - ATTEMPTED - SODOMY ON A CHILD - 1st Degree Felony(amended to) - 1st Degree Felony
Offense Date: January 01, 2013
Plea: August 16, 2017 Guilty
Disposition: August 16, 2017 Guilty
Charge 2 - 76-5-404.1(4) - AGGRAVATED SEXUAL ABUSE OF A CHILD - 1st DegreeFelony
Offense Date: January 01, 2013
Plea: February 03, 2016 Not Guilty
Disposition: August 16, 2017 Dismissed (w/o prej)Based on the defendant's conviction of ATTEMPTED SODOMY ON A CHILD a 1st Degree Felony, the defendant is sentenced toan indeterminate term of not less than three years andwhich may be life in the Utah State Prison.
COMMITMENT is to begin immediately. The court will acceptpayment tendered on the date of sentencing for any amountthe defendant owes arising from this order. The courthereby transfers responsibility for collection of anyremaining balance of the criminal accounts receivable tothe Office of State Debt Collection.
To the WEBER County Sheriff: The defendant is remanded toyour custody for transportation to the Utah State Prisonwhere the defendant will be confined.
SENTENCE PRISON CONCURRENT/CONSECUTIVE NOTE
Sentence imposed may be served concurrently with any othersentence defendant is serving.
SENTENCE RECOMMENDATION NOTE
Court recommeds that defnendant be given credit for timeserved. -
5. Laron Thomas Zaugg
LARON THOMAS ZAUGG
Register Number: 21440-081
Age: 58
Race: White
Sex: Male
Located at: Englewood FCI
Release Date: 02/09/2028
Documents
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Criminal case documents
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We do not know of any related civil cases, so no related civil case documents exist. If you have information that suggests otherwise, please contact us.
