FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Oct. 17, 2011
HUNTINGTON MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO POSSESSING CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – James W. Gipson II, 48, of Huntington, pleaded guilty today before United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers to possessing child pornography. Gipson admitted that on January 5, 2011, he knowingly possessed on his computer more than 600 images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, that is, actual or stimulated sexual intercourse and the lascivious exhibition of the genitals and pubic area of the minors. The defendant also admitted that he knew the images and videos constituted child pornography. Because Gipson was previously convicted in July of 1996 in the Circuit Court of Cabell County, West Virginia, of “Use of Minors in Filming Sexually Explicit Conduct,” he is subject to an enhanced sentence of 10 to 20 years imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and a lifetime of supervised release. He will be sentenced on January 23, 2012.
The United States Secret Service, Huntington Police Department and the West Virginia State Police conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Johnston is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is being prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims.
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