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December 2, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Morgantown Resident Sentenced to 5+ Years
for Possession of Child Pornography

CLARKSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA — A 35 year old Morgantown, West Virginia, resident was sentenced on November 30, 2009, in United States District Court in Clarksburg by Judge Irene M. Keeley.

Acting United States Attorney Betsy C. Jividen announced that JAMES BELLOTTE was sentenced to 65 months imprisonment to be followed by 10 years supervised release. BELLOTTE entered a plea of guilty on July 22, 2009, to one count of an Indictment charging him with possession of child pornography on February 8, 2008, in Monongalia County.

BELLOTTE is in federal custody.

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, 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 case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sherry L. Muncy. The case was investigated by the Monongalia County Sheriff’s Department and the United States Secret Service.