Former Employee of Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development Sentenced in Federal Court on Child Pornography Charges
Defendant Receives 140 Months in Prison
| U.S. Attorney’s Office December 13, 2011 |
LAFAYETTE, LA—United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced the sentencing of a former employee of Louisiana Department of Transportation & Development. David Richard, 56, of Erath, La., was sentenced yesterday afternoon to 140 months in prison for receiving child pornography. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Richard Haik.
Richard pleaded guilty in June of 2011, for receiving child pornography. During a routine sweep of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development’s (DOTD) server, it was discovered that DOTD employee David Richard had saved numerous large video files in his personal storage area on the DOTD server, some containing child pornography movies. Richard gave consent to search his home computer where investigators found nine videos containing child pornography which depicted prepubescent children having sex.
United States Attorney Stephanie A. Finley stated, “Our office has made it a priority to work with our state, local and federal partners to prosecute predators who exploit, abuse or facilitate the exploitation of children through child pornography. This case should send a clear message that there are serious consequences for this type of criminal activity.”
This case was prosecuted as a part of the Project Safe Childhood (PSC) initiative. PSC was launched in 2006 with an aim to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department of Justice, PSC marshals federal, state, tribal, and local resources to work together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney J. Collin Sims.