Lamesa, Texas Man Sentenced to More Than 10 Years in Federal Prison on Child Pornography Conviction

LUBBOCK, TX—Justin Joe Casarez, 22, of Lamesa, Texas, was sentenced this morning by U.S. District Judge Sam R. Cummings to 121 months in federal prison, to be followed by a 25-year term of supervised release, for receiving child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas. Following the sentencing, Judge Cummings remanded Casarez to the custody of the U.S. Marshal.

Casarez pleaded guilty in May to one count of receiving child pornography. According to documents filed in the case, Casarez admitted using Limewire, a “peer-to-peer” file-sharing program on his computer, to download and save numerous images of child pornography.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice, 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 (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.projectsafechildhood.gov/

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Lamesa Police Department, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven M. Sucsy of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Lubbock, Texas.