GREAT FALLS – Lothar Konrad Krauth, a retired Catholic priest, pleaded guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography Monday.
The 81-year-old admitted he searched for images of child pornography on the internet and that he knew it was illegal.
In October of 2018, agents with the Department of Homeland Security received a cybertip tracing the IP address to Krauth.
Agents and Great Falls police executed a search warrant at Krauth’s residence on October 26, 2018 where they seized approximately 20 items of electronic media including a desktop computer, external hard drives, six thumb drives, and more.
Court documents state a preliminary examination of the desktop computer identified approximately 400 images of child pornography while a subsequent analysis revealed thousands.
Krauth came to the United States in 1978 and worked for perishes throughout north-central Montana. He was assigned to Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in Great Falls from 1989 to 2014.
Krauth’s sentencing has been set for July 18. He faces a minimum mandatory five years to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.
Reporting by Margaret DeMarco for MTN News
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