Boulder County, Colo. - On May 31, 2025, 20-year-old Justin Lawrence ELY was arrested on a warrant for 10 counts of sexual exploitation of a child relating to possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The investigation began after the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force received information about distribution of CSAM from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). After learning that the suspect was possibly in the Boulder County area, Colorado ICAC sent the tips to the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab (BCDFL), an ICAC Task Force affiliate, for further investigation.

Through investigation and service of court orders on electronic service providers (ESPs), an ICAC investigator at the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab identified ELY as the suspect. It was also learned that ELY had enlisted in the U.S. Navy and had left the Boulder County area to attend training at a naval base in Connecticut. The BCDFL investigator contacted the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) as well as an ICAC investigator with Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Connecticut requesting their assistance. Those investigators contacted ELY on base and seized his cell phone pursuant to a search warrant. The agents shipped ELY’s cell phone to the BCDFL investigator who, upon detailed examination of the device, found evidence of both possession and distribution of CSAM.

The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office houses local members of the Colorado ICAC Task Force, comprised of Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab investigators from the Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Longmont Department of Public Safety, Boulder Police Department, and Boulder County District Attorney’s Office. In addition to other responsibilities, investigators assigned to the Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab are tasked with investigating child sexual exploitation cases and high technology crimes and provide digital forensics expertise and analysis on a wide range of cases.

ELY was taken into custody by the Town of Groton Police Department in Connecticut on May 31, 2025 as he was entering the naval base at which he was stationed, based on the Boulder County arrest warrant. He was subsequently released from the Connecticut detention facility, at which time he traveled back to Boulder and turned himself in on June 7, 2025. ELY bonded out of the Boulder County Jail after appearing before a judicial officer, on a $15,000 bond related to the following charges: 5 counts of violating C.R.S. §18-6-403(3)(b)(5.5), sexual exploitation of a child – distribution, a Class 3 Extraordinary Risk Felony; and 5 counts of violating C.R.S. §18-6-403(3)(b.5), sexual exploitation of a child – possession of videos, a Class 4 Extraordinary Risk Felony.

Agencies who assisted with this investigation include the: Boulder County Digital Forensics Lab, Longmont Department of Public Safety, Boulder County Sheriff’s Office, Boulder County District Attorney’s Office, Boulder Police Department, U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations, and the Town of Groton Police Department in Connecticut.

The associated Boulder County Sheriff’s Office case number for this investigation is 24-05094.

About ICAC:
The Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is a group of local and federal law enforcement agencies and prosecutors located in and around the state of Colorado who are trained and dedicated to protecting children online by investigating and prosecuting crimes committed against children, facilitated by the internet, technology, and computer usage. Colorado ICAC is a member of the National ICAC Task Force.

If you suspect a child is being sexually exploited online, you can report it online at NCMEC's CyberTipLine website or by calling 1-800-THE-LOST.

As in every criminal case, these charges are merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.

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/s/Detective Sergeant Clay Leak, BCDFL

Justin ELY booking photo