Slidell Man Charged with Receipt of Child Pornography

NEW ORLEANS—QUENTIN KITTEL, age 22, a resident of Slidell, Louisiana, was charged in a two-count bill of information today for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.

According to the bill of information, KITTEL knowingly received digital images depicting the sexual exploitation of two minors, a 16-year-old female and a 12-year-old female, between November 2009 and October 2011. If convicted, KITTEL faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum penalty of 20 years’ imprisonment for each count, followed by up to a life term of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. He can also be required to register as a sex offender.

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.”

U.S. Attorney Letten reiterated that the bill of information is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case is being investigated by special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant United States Attorneys Jordan Ginsberg.