FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation

07/21/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/22/2022 06:11

Mercer County Man Sentenced to Prison for Child Pornography Crime

BLUEFIELD, W.Va. - A Mercer County man was sentenced today to six years and six months in prison, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release, for possessing child pornography.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 17, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at the Bluefield residence of Christopher Paul Knight, 56, and seized a laptop computer. A forensic review of the computer revealed more than 1,000 image and video files of suspected child pornography. Knight admitted to downloading and possessing the images and videos of child pornography, which included prepubescent minors engaged in sexual intercourse and other sexually explicit conduct.

United States Attorney Will Thompson made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Senior United States District Judge David A. Faber imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald prosecuted the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney's 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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 1:21-cr-262.

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