Bloomington Resident Sentenced for Possessing Child Pornography

VICTORIA, TX—Joey James, 26, of Bloomington, Texas, has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography, United States Attorney Tim Johnson announced today.

The sentence was handed down late Monday, Sept. 21, 2009, by United States District Judge John. D. Rainey. James was convicted on July 6, 2009, after pleading guilty to count one of the indictment.

The investigation leading to the conviction was initiated by the Corpus Christi Police Department (CCPD), Computer Crimes Unit, after receiving information from James’ employer about a flash drive containing child pornography, which was found on the floor at his workplace. The CCPD and FBI continued the investigation which lead to the conviction and sentencing of James.

When addressing the child pornography charges, the court noted the importance of trying to deter the defendant as well as others from possessing and disturbing child pornography. In addition, the court expressed its concern for the extreme damage caused to the individuals who were the victims of child pornography. In addition to serving 24 months in prison, James will spend 10 years on supervised release and is required to pay a special assessment of $100.

Conditions of the supervised release will require James to attend sex offender counseling and to register as a sex offender. James may not own or have access to any device connected to the Internet and must remain at least 100 feet away from schools, parks and other recreational areas where children assemble.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Carol Wheeler.