Summers County Man Sentenced To 4 Years In Federal Prison For Child Pornography

Grimmett had more than 600 child-pornography pictures and videos on his computer

BECKLEY, W.Va. – U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin today announced that a Summers County man was sentenced to four years prison followed by 15 years of supervised release for possession of child pornography.  Alan L. Grimmett, 51, of Hinton, Summers County, W.Va., admitted that on June 7, 2011, he possessed on his computer more than 600 images and videos that revealed minors involved in sexual conduct.  The defendant admitted that he knew the images and videos constituted child pornography.  Grimmett further admitted that the images he possessed were downloaded using the Internet. 

“Crimes that involve the exploitation of children are repulsive, plain and simple,” said U.S. Attorney Goodwin. “These types of cases have been a top priority for my office and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the criminals are punished.”

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the West Virginia State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the West Virginia State Police conducted the investigation.   Assistant United States Attorney Lisa Johnston handled the prosecution.  The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Irene C. Berger. 

Since January 2012, twenty-two defendants have been convicted as part of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s ongoing initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse in the Southern District of West Virginia.  Twelve defendants have been sentenced to a total of nearly 50 years in federal prison.  The remaining ten defendants currently await sentencing. 

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 http://www.justice.gov/usao/wvs/PSCpage.html.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and follow the link named “Resources.”