Tennessee man sentenced to more than 8 years for receiving child pornography from Louisiana minor

ALEXANDRIA, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that a Tennessee man was sentenced Tuesday to eight years in prison for receiving sexually explicit images from a Louisiana minor. 

Dustin Ray Spears Sr., 28, of Athens, Tennessee, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Dee. D. Drell on one count of receiving child pornography. He was also sentenced to 10 years of supervised release and is required to register as a sex offender. According to the August 7, 2018 guilty plea, Spears began conversing online in June of 2017 with a 15-year-old minor female from Louisiana. In October of 2017, he traveled to northern Louisiana and had sexual intercourse with the minor. After learning of the relationship, the female’s sister informed authorities. Law enforcement agents then searched Spears’ phone and found sexually explicit images. After reviewing email and online chat messages, agents determined that Spears had enticed the minor to send images and video of herself.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines 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.           

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) also encourage the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) 347-2423.  Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls.  Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online by visiting their website at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp or through the Operation Predator smartphone application www.ice.gov/predator/smartphone-app.  Tips may be submitted anonymously.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney John Luke Walker prosecuted the case.