Bellingham man who had thousands of files of child sexual abuse sentenced
Four years after his arrest for possession of child sexual abuse material, a Bellingham man has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
Clifford Eugene Allen, 68, was arrested Feb. 11, 2021 and charged with five counts of possession of depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He pleaded guilty to one of the counts May 20, and was sentenced Wednesday in Whatcom County Superior Court on the amended charge.
The initial investigation into Allen began in January 2019 following Cybertips submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by Microsoft, according to court records. When officers interviewed him six months later, Allen admitted to having thousands of images and videos of child sexual exploitation on his electronic devices.
Allen said he downloaded child sexual abuse material “probably every day,” and investigators found 13,731 internet searches on his computer that they believed were related to child sexual abuse material. Court records show the detective ultimately located more than 265,000 images and videos that were sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for identification.
Allen is a convicted sex offender who served just over two years in prison almost 40 years ago. However, his public defender said the treatment that Allen received was ineffective and not science-based.
“Had Clifford been able to access evidence-based interventions, he may have not continued to engage in maladaptive behaviors after his arrest in 1987,” a behavioral health specialist wrote in the defense’s sentencing memorandum.
“I’m very sorry, and I’m very ashamed,” Allen said during his sentencing Wednesday.
Judge Jennifer Slattery followed the agreed sentencing recommendation of 30 months in prison followed by three years in community custody. Allen will be required to undergo a sexual deviancy evaluation and recommended treatment. He will also have to register as a sex offender for life.
Report child sexual exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or call 800-843-5678.