SEATTLE -- Seven sexually violent predators were found with child porn at the Special Commitment Center on McNeil Island, said U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Sullivan.

All seven suspects have been arrested after indictments were returned following a two year investigation of contraband making its way into the institution.

During a press conference Thursday morning, officials said they are still trying to determine how the suspects got the porn.

“Almost all of the people charged possessed hundreds of images of child pornography, one in particular possessed over a thousand images,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Jill Otake.

Six of the seven suspects have previously been convicted of offenses against children.

The suspects are:

- David T. Fair, 43, convicted in Kitsap County of child molestation in 1988.
- Donald Gene Gamer, 62, convicted of sex crimes in King, Pierce and Thurston Counties in 1974, 1980, 1990 and 1994.
- Alfred E. Kistenmacher, 68, convicted of rape of a child in Lewis County, 1996.
- Keith Jonathon Rogers, 69, convicted of sex crimes in Walla Walla and Pierce Counties, as well as Alaska, in 1961, 1966, 1972, 1984.
- Robert Whitney Sheaffer, 65, convicted of sex crimes in King and Pierce Counties in 1962, 1978, and 2007.
- John Leonard Strand, 50, convicted in Clallam County of child molestation in 1993.
- Barry Lewis Taylor, 57, convicted of sex crimes in King and Pierce Counties in 1996 and 2005.

According to their Web site, the Special Commitment Center Program provides a specialized mental health treatment program for civilly committed sex offenders who have completed their prison sentences. The program is operated by the Department of Social and Health Services.

Since the special commitment center is not a prison, guards cannot search incoming mail and residents can have their own computers.

A policy the center's superintendent, Kelly Cunningham, doesn't like.

“I feel it’s a big problem for the institution. Much of the reason we're here today is much of this stuff has been on a resident's personal computers,” Cunningham said.

Officials believe some of the contraband could have come in through the mail, but are still investigating.

Over the last year, three additional residents have been indicted for contraband.

The smuggling of contraband is being investigated by a task force of agents from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the FBI and the Washington State Patrol.

No staff members are being investigated or face charges at this time.

All seven defendants face a mandatory minimum 10 years to 20 years in prison if convicted.