Houma Man Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charges

NEW ORLEANS—ROBERT KIM ISTRE, 55, of Houma, Louisiana, pled guilty in federal court today before U.S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon to felonies involving the sexual exploitation of children, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.

According to documents filed in federal court, ISTRE knowingly used his computer to search for, download, and save images of child pornography. On July 30, 2009, special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a federal search warrant and seized a personal computer and several DVDs, CDs, and VHS tapes from the defendant’s residence in Houma, Louisiana. A subsequent computer forensic search of ISTREs computer revealed that he was in possession of approximately 10,000 images and 300 videos depicting the sexual victimization of children.

ISTRE faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five (5) years’ imprisonment and a maximum of twenty (20) years. In addition, ISTRE will be placed on supervised release for a period of not less than five (5) years and up to life and will be required to register as a sex offender. Sentencing in this matter is scheduled for May 27, 2010.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006, by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, 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 about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba.