MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA— Fifty-nine year old Montgomery resident, James Elmo Turner, Jr., was sentenced today to serve 63 months in prison for receiving child pornography over the internet, Leura G. Canary, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Alabama, announced. Turner previously pled guilty to the charge– a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(2) – in August 2009, admitting that in early 2008 he had intentionally downloaded numerous images and video files depicting underage boys engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Because there was no evidence that Turner had ever distributed child pornography, the sentence of just over five years fell at the bottom of the range advised by the United States Sentencing Guidelines.

The federal case against Turner began in May 2008, when the Alabama Bureau of Investigation’s (ABI) Cybercrime Unit received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that someone using Turner’s email address had uploaded a video file depicting two male teenagers engaging in sex acts. ABI agents subsequently executed search warrants at Turner’s home and business and discovered multiple hard drives, CDs and other digital storage devices later found to contain hundreds of child pornography videos and images. Some of the children in the images appear younger than ten years old.

In accordance with the parties’ plea agreement, the sentence handed down by the Honorable Mark E. Fuller, Chief United States District Judge for the Middle District of Alabama, includes a life term of supervised release. Turner was also ordered to pay a $12,500 fine and will be required to register as a sex offender under federal law.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In May 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices, 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/.

The investigation of this case was conducted by ABI, with computer forensic assistance provided by the Alabama District Attorney’s Association – Office of Prosecution Services. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nathan D. Stump.

 

PRESS CONTACT: Clark Morris
Email: usaalm.press@usdoj.gov
Telephone: (334) 551-1755
Fax: (334) 223-7617

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