March 28, 2012

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- Barton Alden Baskette, 42, of Atlanta, Ga., formerly of Knoxville, Tenn., pleaded guilty on March 28, 2012, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville, to a two-count information charging him with receipt and possession of child pornography. Sentencing has been set for July 16, 2012, at 9:30 a.m., before the Honorable Thomas W. Phillips, U.S. District Court Judge.

Baskette faces a mandatory minimum term of five years in prison, along with criminal forfeiture and a potential fine and the obligation to pay restitution and a statutory assessment.

This conviction was the result of an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Units of the Knoxville Police Department and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Frank M. Dale, Jr. represented the United States.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a Department initiative launched in 2006 that aims to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, tribal 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 visit ProjectSafeChildhood.gov.