Joshua Nettles Sentenced to More Than Eight Years in Prison for Receiving Images and Movies Depicting the Sexual Exploitation of Children

Joshua Nettles, age 38, a resident of Covington, Louisiana, was sentenced today by the U.S. District Court Judge Martin L.C. Feldman to 97 months after previously pleading guilty to receiving and possessing images depicting the sexual victimization of children, announced U.S. Attorney Dana J. Boente. Further, after Nettles is released from prison, he will be subject to five years of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, Nettles sought out, downloaded, and saved digital images depicting the sexual exploitation of prepubescent minors, including images of victims younger than 4 years old. A forensic review of Nettles’ computer revealed that he had downloaded and saved approximately 1,409 files and 14 videos depicting the sexual victimization of these children.

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.”

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