Georgia Man Sentenced to Seven Years in Federal Prison for Receiving Child Pornography Over the Internet

JACKSONVILLE, FL—United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan today sentenced John Charles Stevenson (46, Rincon, Georgia) to seven years in federal prison for receiving videos and images of child pornography over the Internet. He was also ordered to serve a five-year term of supervision and to register as a sex offender, following his incarceration. Stevenson pleaded guilty on October 29, 2013, and has been in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service since his arrest in Rincon, Georgia, on June 21, 2013.

According to court documents, an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted an investigation to identify individuals in Jacksonville who were trading images and videos depicting child pornography over the Internet. The agent determined that a computer using a particular Jacksonville Internet protocol (IP) address was hosting child pornography. The agent was able to download several videos of prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct from this host computer. Further investigation revealed that the subscriber information for this IP address resolved to a residence in Jacksonville where Stevenson was living. On January 31, 2013, FBI agents and other officers executed a federal search warrant at this Jacksonville residence.

During an interview, Stevenson stated that he had been viewing and downloading child pornography for at least three years. He described his activities with child pornography as “interesting, curious, and novel” and stated that he downloads and watches child pornography for his “personal use.” Subsequent forensic analysis of Stevenson’s two laptop computers seized from the residence revealed that they contained a total of at least 24 videos and 51 images depicting child pornography.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

It is another 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 the United States Attorneys’ 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 individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.