A longtime member of the Alaska Air National Guard was indicted last week on charges of production, possession and distribution of child pornography.
Richard Anthony Dougherty is accused of creating child pornography in part by using a hidden camera on his phone, according to court documents filed in the case against him. Federal prosecutors say between 2017 and this year he distributed child pornography over the internet and possessed “terabytes” — a unit of digital data equal to about 1 trillion bytes — of child pornography on a computer and mobile phone.
Dougherty, who is in federal custody, remains an active Guard member as an investigation into his actions continues, authorities say.
Dougherty admitted to “hoarding” a collection of pornography over about 20 years, according to a sworn affidavit filed in March by a Homeland Security Investigations special agent.
He was arrested earlier this month and indicted on Friday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Alaska.
Dougherty has served in the Guard for 19 years and is assigned as a propulsion specialist to the 176th Maintenance Squadron of the 176th Wing, according to Guard spokesman Alan Brown. Asked if that status has changed in light of the charges, Brown said that at this time, the Guard is “gathering as much information as possible to determine the next steps going forward.”
One of his commanders at Joint Base Elemendorf-Richardson told investigators that Dougherty is “known around the squadron as the ‘hacker’ as he has great interest in computing and gaming,” the affidavit states.
Brown said an investigation continues when asked if any of the alleged criminal activities involved National Guard computers or other equipment.
“The Alaska National Guard is aware of the recent charges by the U.S. Department of Justice against a member of the Alaska National Guard,” he said in an email Monday. “We have been cooperating closely with law enforcement during the investigation and will continue to do so to ensure the legal process continues unimpeded. Due to the ongoing investigation, it would be inappropriate to provide any details related to the case.”