Steven Marshall Fout Sentenced to 151 Months in Prison for Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography

KNOXVILLE, TN—Steven Marshall Fout, 24, of Sweetwater, Tennessee, was sentenced on February 20, 2014, to serve 151 months in prison by the Honorable Danny C. Reeves, visiting U.S. District Judge. The sentence was imposed as the result of a guilty plea entered by Fout in June 2013 to federal charges of knowingly distributing and possessing child pornography.

Upon his release from prison, Judge Reeves imposed a 30-year term during which Fout’s activities will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office. He was also ordered to pay $2,500 in restitution to victims whose digital images were found on in his possession.

Also, as a result of the conviction, the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act will require Fout to register following his incarceration with the state sex offender registry anywhere he resides, is employed, or is a student.

The investigation leading to the conviction and sentencing of Fout was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew T. Morris represented the United States at sentencing.

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 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. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”