Downsville Man Pleads Guilty to Receiving Child Pornography

MONROE, LA—U.S. Attorney Stephanie A. Finley announced that Randy A. Powell, 33, of Downsville, Louisiana, pleaded guilty Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen L. Hayes to receiving child pornography.

According to evidence presented at the guilty plea, in February 2012, Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies learned that Powell, who is a registered sex offender, was maintaining social media accounts under an alias, which is a violation of his sex offender registration requirements. Authorities arrested Powell February 23, 2013, and his home was searched. They found 1,041 images and 150 videos of prepubescent children. Approximately 50 of the videos/photos depicted children in bondage. Powell admitted to investigators that he used a file sharing program to download the images. Powell has a previous conviction for attempted possession of child pornography.

Powell faces five to 40 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and five years to life of supervised release for one count of receiving child pornography. Sentencing is set for April 7, 2014. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth D. Reeg is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Homeland Security Investigations/Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) DHS-2ICE. Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls. Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online at www.ice.gov/exec/forms/hsi-tips/tips.asp. Tips may be reported anonymously.

Those concerned may also leave tips with the FBI at tips.fbi.gov. Tips may be submitted anonymously. The Monroe FBI office number is (318) 387-0773.