Man Sentenced for Distribution and Receipt of Child Pornography

A Commerce man was sentenced today for Distribution and Receipt of Child Pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Andrew Shane Hartman, 49, to 108 months imprisonment, followed by 12 years of supervised release. Upon release, Hartman will also be required to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, the FBI discovered Hartman distributing images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children in various chat rooms. After being arrested and appearing before the court, Hartman was released on supervised release. Hartman then violated conditions of his supervised release and was detained prior to sentencing. He will continue to remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility.

The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Nassar and Joshua M. Carmel prosecuted the case.

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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.