Denny Doyle, ex-Beaverton mayor, sentenced to prison after apologizing for ‘idiotic behavior’ in downloading child porn

U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman called Doyle’s case “extraordinary,” in that the crime occurred years earlier and that Doyle apparently repudiated what he did and stopped before anyone discovered it, yet it occurred at his home while he was in a position of authority and promoting youth soccer in Beaverton, particularly girls youth soccer.

“You violated a public trust and misused the opportunity to be a public example,” Mosman told Doyle.

The judge’s sentence fell between U.S. Attorney Natalie Wight’s recommendation for a year and a day in prison and defense lawyer Elizabeth Daily’s request to place Doyle on one year of home detention.

Between 300 to 600 pornographic images of children, some depicting minors under 12, were discovered in late January on a thumb drive found at a local soccer club in Beaverton where Doyle had served as vice president, according to court records.The purple 64GB Lexar USB thumb drive also contained personal photos that appeared to belong to Doyle. The club turned the thumb drive over to Beaverton police.

Investigators determined the pornographic images of children were downloaded on the thumb drive between November 2014 and December 2015 while Doyle was still serving as mayor, according to Wight.

Several of the images included children who had been identified as sexually exploited minors by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, according to prosecutors. Beaverton police referred the case to the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force in Portland.

Daily argued that a prison term wasn’t appropriate for Doyle, considering his age of 74, his immediate acceptance of responsibility and his low risk to reoffend. She said Doyle already has been punished by the publicity surrounding his arrest.

Doyle, wearing a blue suit and light blue dress shirt, told the judge he was sorry for what he did and those he hurt but never explained why he did it.

“I just wanted to publicly express what I put into writing — my regrets of my actions and the harm it caused to so many people, from the victims that were in the pictures to their families,” he said. “I truly hope that the treatment programs they’re undergoing help them because it’s going to be with them the rest of their lives.”

He apologized to his own family, as his wife and daughters sat behind him in the public gallery. About eight members of his extended family and friends also came to court.

“I’ve embarrassed the heck out of them,” he said, and described his actions as “idiotic behavior.”

In the last year, he said, “I’ve truly struggled to get back to who I was ... I’m fully, fully admitting that what I did was wrong. Nobody made me do it. There were no extenuating circumstances and I own it.”

The judge noted that the prosecutor’s proposed sentence already marked a dramatic reduction from the sentencing guideline that called for about four years in prison. Mosman said he reduced that further, considering Doyle’s age, zero risk of reoffending according to a psychosexual evaluation and risk assessment and his move to seek treatment voluntarily and pay thousands of dollars in restitution.

But Mosman said he believed a prison term was warranted, partly to deter others from committing the same serious crime “out of some sort of curiosity.”

When federal agents contacted Doyle at his home, he admitted the thumb drive was his and that he had personally downloaded the child pornography from his home computer in Beaverton, according to the prosecutor.

Doyle cooperated with the investigation and voluntarily sought counseling and treatment, according to court records. In March, he waived indictment and was accused of the single felony charge. On Oct. 11, he pleaded guilty. He’s been out of custody since his arrest.

Doyle served as a Beaverton city councilor for more than a decade before he was elected mayor in 2008. He served three terms in the city’s top elected position, relinquishing the job in 2020 after he was beaten in a runoff election.