Seymour Man Sentenced to Prison for Possessing Child Pornography
| U.S. Attorney’s Office November 20, 2012 |
David B. Fein, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Joseph Calvin Laughner, 45, of Seymour, formerly of Naugatuck, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven to 18 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for possessing child pornography.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Laughner used a peer-to-peer file sharing program to download images of child pornography. On December 7, 2009, agents with the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, with the assistance of the Naugatuck Police Department, conducted a search of Laughner’s residence and seized three computers and computer-related items. Forensic analysis of the items seized has revealed more than 300 images and 22 videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
On May 15, 2012, Laughner pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.
This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, which includes federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Deborah R. Slater and Sarala V. Nagala.
The Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, which is housed at the FBI office in New Haven, investigates crimes occurring over the Internet, including computer intrusion, Internet fraud, copyright violations, Internet threats and harassment, and online crimes against children. The task force also provides computer forensic review services for participating agencies. For more information about the task force, please contact the FBI at 203-777-6311.
This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.