Louisiana man sentenced to more than 8 years in prison for receiving child pornography
NEW ORLEANS - Herbert Poche, 60, of Jefferson, La., was sentenced in federal court today to 97 months in prison for receiving child pornography, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
The defendant was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release following his prison sentence, during which time he will be under federal supervision and risks additional imprisonment, should he violate any terms of the release, and register as a sex offender as part of the Sex Offender Registration Notification Act.
According to court documents, on Sept. 22, 2010, Poche pled guilty, admitting that on June 8, 2009, special agents found that he was in possession of computers which contained 76 videos depicting the sexual victimization of minor children. Poche further admitted that he subscribed to websites offering child pornography.
"Each child seen in these pornographic videos is an innocent victim of those who produce, possess, transport and share child pornography. Unfortunately, these images are being viewed over and over again, perpetuating the abuse of these children," said Raymond R. Parmer, Jr., special agent in charge of ICE HSI in New Orleans. "HSI will continue to diligently work with our law enforcement partners to identify child predators and bring them to justice." Parmer oversees a five-state area which includes Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee.
This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to identify, investigate and arrest those who prey on children, including human traffickers, international sex tourists, Internet pornographers, and foreign-national predators whose crimes make them deportable.
ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators.
Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com/.
This case was also 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 United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The prosecution was handled by Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, Assistant U. S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba.
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