Robert Thomas Shultz Sentenced to 171 Months in Prison for Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography

KNOXVILLE, TN—Robert Thomas Shultz, 35, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was sentenced on Wednesday to 171 months in prison in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee by the Honorable Thomas A. Varlan, U.S. District Judge. The sentence was imposed as the result of guilty pleas entered by Shultz on January 6, 2010, to a federal indictment charging him with knowingly receiving and possessing child pornography that had been transported in interstate and foreign commerce by any means, including by computer. The court also imposed a life term of supervised release following his release from prison and required Shultz to participate in a program of sex offender mental health treatment. Additionally, as a result of the conviction, the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act will require Shultz to register with the state sex offender registry anywhere he resides, is employed, or is a student following his incarceration.

U.S. Attorney Bill Killian stated, “These crimes will continue to be prosecuted vigorously, and send a message to all that the children in our society will be protected by federal law.”

This conviction is the result of a joint investigation conducted by the Knoxville Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Morris represented the United States.

This case was brought as part of Public Safe Childhood (PSC), a Department initiative launched in 2006 that aims to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, tribal, 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 visit ProjectSafeChildhood.gov.