A 61-year-old Canyon County man has been sentenced to ten years in prison after being convicted on three felony counts of sexual exploitation of a child, the Idaho Attorney General’s office announced. Lesley Marcum received the sentence on May 12, with four years fixed and six years indeterminate — the maximum penalty allowed under state law for the offense.
Investigation Traced to Social Media CyberTip
The case began when the Idaho Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force received a CyberTip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip originated from a well-known social media platform that flagged an account for possessing child pornography. Investigators identified Marcum as the account holder, and a subsequent digital forensic examination of his phone uncovered multiple instances of child sexual abuse material. Some of the victims are believed to have been between three and six years old.
During the investigation, Marcum admitted to officers that he had viewed and downloaded the material. He told investigators that users on the platform employed coded language — terms such as “pizza” and “yummy pizza” — as signals for child pornography. This type of coded communication has become a growing concern for law enforcement tracking child exploitation online. For more on related law enforcement activity in the region, see Nampa Police’s recent operation that resulted in eight arrests and the seizure of drugs and firearms.
Attorney General Issues Warning to Parents
Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador issued a direct warning in the wake of the sentencing. “Predators are using code words on social media apps right now to find and share videos of child sexual abuse, and most parents have no idea,” Labrador said.
The statement underscores the ongoing work of the ICAC task force, which relies on tips from tech platforms and national clearinghouses to identify and prosecute individuals possessing or distributing child sexual abuse material. Canyon County law enforcement agencies have remained active on multiple fronts in recent months — a pattern that also includes a recent multi-agency response in Caldwell that resulted in a fugitive being booked on a felony warrant.
What Comes Next
Marcum’s ten-year sentence will be served under Idaho’s unified sentencing structure, meaning he must complete the four-year fixed portion before becoming eligible for parole consideration during the indeterminate phase. The conviction and sentencing reflect the Attorney General’s continued emphasis on prosecuting internet-based crimes against children across the Treasure Valley and the state.
Parents and guardians concerned about online safety are encouraged to familiarize themselves with coded language that may appear in social media applications, and to monitor the platforms their children use. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTipline remains a primary mechanism through which tech companies report suspected child exploitation activity to law enforcement. For broader statewide coverage of public safety and law enforcement issues, visit Idaho News.