NEW ORLEANS MAN SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON FOR POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
MICHAEL P. YAZIGI, age 27, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced today by U. S. District Judge Stanwood R. Duval, Jr. to five (5) years imprisonment for possession of child pornography, announced U. S. Attorney Jim Letten. In addition, YAZIGI is required to register as a sex offender under federal law and ordered to serve ten (10) years supervised release following imprisonment during which time he will be under federal supervision and risks additional imprisonment should he violate any terms of the release.
According to court documents, on or about February 12, 2009, YAZIGI was found to be in possession of a computer that contained images and videos of child pornography.
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 http://www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by agents from the U. S. Postal Inspection Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Matt Chester.
