Press Release
Valdez Resident Stephen Foster Sentenced on Two Counts of Possession of Child Pornography
November 14, 2025
(Valdez, AK) – On Nov. 4, 2025, Valdez Superior Court Judge Rachel Ahrens sentenced Valdez resident Stephen Foster to a composite sentence of 10 years, with six years suspended, or four years to serve in custody. In addition, Foster is required to register as a sex offender for 15 years and be placed on probation for a period of 5 years.
The charges originated when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received an incident of suspected child pornography found on the social media platform “Discord.” NCMEC determined that the account was registered to 19-year-old Stephen Foster in Valdez. Search warrants were obtained for the files, where it was determined that Foster uploaded approximately 1,070 images and videos to the Discord server, most of which appeared to be pornographic in nature.
The defendant was contacted by law enforcement and admitted that the associated email and Discord account were his, and he was the sole subscriber. He further acknowledged his involvement in a Discord group that shared child pornography, and that he had downloaded and distributed child pornography files. He stated that he shared those videos, and similar content, with other users with the hope of receiving additional material in return.
The Alaska State Troopers’ Digital Forensic Laboratory reviewed Foster’s devices. The digital forensic laboratory identified twenty media files on the defendant's devices that clearly depicted child sexual abuse material. On Dec. 18, 2023, the defendant was indicted on twenty counts of Possession of Child Pornography.
On May 23, 2025, Foster pled guilty to two consolidated counts of Possession of Child Pornography: one for all of the counts involving images of child sexual abuse materials and one for all of the counts involving videos of child sexual abuse materials.
Assistant District Attorney Rachel K. Gernat prosecuted the case. The Alaska State Troopers’ Technical Crimes Unit conducted the investigation.
Contact Assistant District Attorney Rachel K Gernat at rachel.gernat@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6300.
Department Media Contacts: Communications Director Patty Sullivan at patty.sullivan@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6368. Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.