Larose man pleads guilty in child pornography case
JOSEPH ST. PIERRE, age 47, of Larose, Louisiana, pled guilty today before U. S. District Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten.
ST. PIERRE was charged in September 2011 in a Bill of Information for Receipt of Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors. On April 27, 2011, federal agents with the U. S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Louisiana State Police executed a search warrant at ST. PIERRE’s residence and discovered him in the process of downloading child pornography.
ST. PIERRE faces a maximum penalty of twenty (20) years, followed by up to a lifetime term of supervised release, a $250,000.00 fine and ST. PIERRE can be required to register as a sex offender. Sentencing is scheduled for February 29, 2012.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
This case was investigated by special agents from the U. S. Department of Homeland Security, HSI and the Louisiana State Police.
The prosecution of this case was handled by Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, Assistant U. S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba.
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