BATON ROUGE, LA—United States Attorney Walt Green announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Shelly D. Dick sentenced CLINTON D. SMITH, age 43, of Prairieville, Louisiana, to 480 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release following imprisonment. While serving his term of supervised release, SMITH will be required to register as a sex offender, and his access to computers, minors, and the Internet will be restricted. SMITH had previously pled guilty in February 2014 to distribution and receipt of child pornography.

According to the factual basis presented in connection with his guilty plea, between November 25, 2012 to February 20, 2013, SMITH distributed 49 images and 15 videos of child pornography and received 80 images of child pornography. Many of the images depicted prepubescent minors, and several depicted violent, sadistic, or masochistic conduct. At sentencing, the Court considered evidence of SMITH’s history of prior sexual abuse of several child victims and his role in the production of pornographic images.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative 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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “Resources” tab for information about Internet safety.

U.S. Attorney Green stated: “The United States Attorney’s Office has always prioritized its efforts in this critical area of crimes against children. We will continue to work closely with the FBI, and all federal, state, and local law enforcement, to protect the children in this district as part of this important national initiative. This sentence should serve as a deterrent to those who mean harm to our children.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cam T. Le and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney John Brad Casey.