Radcliff Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Violating Federal Child Sexual Exploitation Laws

LOUISVILLE, KY—A Radcliff, Kentucky man was recently sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, by United States Judge John G. Heyburn, II for violating federal child sexual exploitation laws by possessing child pornography, announced David J. Hale, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky.

Paul Herman Hales, age 56, is currently serving a 20-year sentence in the Kentucky Department of Corrections for engaging in a sexual act with a child under the age of 12. The offenses took place in Radcliff, Kentucky, and surrounding areas.

According to an affidavit in support of a federal criminal complaint by a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, on June 22, 2011, law enforcement officials executed a search warrant at Hales’ home and seized numerous computer diskettes and other computer equipment. The computer diskettes contained thousands of still images and hundreds of movie files. Many contained child pornography. Several depicted children who had previously been identified in investigations and prosecutions outside the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless and Special Assistant United States Attorney Milton Turner prosecuted the case. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Radcliff Police Department conducted the investigation.

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."