Child Pornographer Sentenced to Twenty Years’ Imprisonment

United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that U.S. District Court Judge John W. deGravelles sentenced Jesse J. Allen, age 35, of Baton Rouge Louisiana to 240 months in federal prison following his conviction for receipt of child pornography. Allen must serve 10 years of federal supervised release upon completing his term of imprisonment, during which he is prohibited from contacting anyone under the age of 18, and he must complete sex offender treatment. The Court also ordered Allen to $51,000 in restitution. As a result of this conviction, Allen will be required to register as a sex offender for life

According to admissions made during his guilty plea, Allen utilized cellular telephones and the internet to seek out and receive a number of images and videos of child pornography involving a number of different victims.

United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. stated, "Protecting our children and prosecuting those who exploit them continues to be a priority for my office. Searching for and obtaining images of child pornography feeds the demand for child exploitation and re-victimizes those children who suffered through the abuse. If basic human decency will not deter this conduct, we hope that sever prison sentences will."

"This sentencing reinforces our mission to protect innocent children from child predators by utilizing the justice system," said Douglas A. Williams, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of FBI New Orleans. "We thank our partners at the United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District for their dedication to the pursuit of justice in this case."

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Louisiana State Police, and it was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jamie Flowers Jr., who also serves as Chief of the Criminal Division, and Colin Clark.

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 U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc.