BIRMINGHAM – A federal judge today sentenced a Nauvoo man to 10 years in prison for receiving and possessing almost 2,000 images of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and FBI Special Agent in Charge Patrick Maley.

U.S. District Judge Abdul Kallon sentenced JOSHUA HOUSTON NESMITH, 41, and ordered he remain on supervised release for the rest of his life after completing the 10-year prison term. NESMITH must register as a sex offender, and the judge prohibited him from any unsupervised contact with children.

“A long prison term is just punishment for someone who continually exploits children by receiving and sharing images of their abuse across the Internet,” Vance said. “The children shown in these horrendous photos are victims each time their images are sold or shared and the vile industry that produces and provides those images continues to thrive,” she said.

“Those who possess child pornography aid in the continuing abuse of children and must be held accountable,” Maley said. “Individuals who use computer technology to exploit our children should know that law enforcement is on the Internet looking for them.”

NESMITH pleaded guilty in October to the charges of receiving and possessing child pornography. In his plea agreement, he admitted using his home computer and an Internet file sharing program to receive and possess 1,896 still images and 102 video images of child pornography between June 2009 and June 2010. Some of the images on NESMITH’s computer showed children under the age of 3 years old.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Birmingham Police Department, and the Walker County Sheriff’s Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Fortune prosecuted the case.

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