SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - David M. Ketchmark, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Humansville, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for receiving child pornography over the Internet.

Jerry Earl Troupe, Jr., 51, of Humansville, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Ortrie D. Smith to 15 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Troupe to forfeit to the government two desktop computers that were used to commit the offense.

On Aug. 30, 2011, Troupe pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography over the Internet. Troupe admitted that he shared child pornography over the Internet through a peer-to-peer filing sharing program. On April 13, 2010, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Troupe’s residence and seized two computers. A forensic examination of the two computers was conducted. The examiner found six videos and 27 photos of child pornography.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary K. Milligan. It was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force.

Project Safe Childhood

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."

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