Registered Sexual Offender Sentenced to Return to Prison

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Pensacola resident Clay C. Keys, 53, was sentenced today on his guilty plea to a federal indictment charging him with the receipt and distribution of child pornography and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon.  Keys was previously convicted in state court for a lewd and lascivious act upon a child, and was a registered sexual offender.

Keys was found guilty of using peer-to-peer software between April 2009 and August 2013 to share thousands of images of child pornography online.  A federal search warrant was obtained for Keys’ residence in August 2013, and law enforcement officers discovered more than 10,000 images and videos of child pornography.  Chief United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers sentenced Keys to 15 years in federal prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release.

 Keys was also sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession of ammunition by a convicted felon, which will run concurrent with his sentence for child pornography. 

In announcing the sentence imposed by the court, United States Attorney Pamela C. Marsh credited the success of this prosecution to the joint efforts of the Department of Homeland Security, the Pensacola Police Department, and other members of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, whose joint investigation led to the complaint in the case. 

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Goldberg.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to 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.