Metairie Doctor Indicted for Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography

DAN JOACHIM, M.D., age 50, of Metairie, Louisiana, was charged in an indictment today by a federal grand jury for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children, announced United States Attorney Jim Letten.

According to the indictment, JOACHIM knowingly received and possessed digital images, computer images, and digital video files depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. If convicted, JOACHIM faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five (5) years and a maximum penalty of twenty (20) years, followed by up to a life term of supervised release, 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 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

United States Attorney Letten reiterated that the indictment 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 and Patrice Harris Sullivan.