Harahan Man Sentenced to 200 Months in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Children

According to court documents, based on a 2022 complaint by a minor resident in Rhode Island, law enforcement authorities executed search warrants on social media accounts, electronic devices, and a residence in Harahan, Louisiana, belonging to VALOTTA.  A review of the items seized revealed that throughout 2022 and early 2023, VALOTTA met at least three (3) minor females on social media applications on which VALOTTA created a false persona.  When chatting with the minors, VALOTTA typically engaged in sexually charged correspondence.  His pattern included, and culminated in, VALOTTA requesting sexually explicit images, videos and depictions from minors.  VALOTTA often offered to take and transmit sexually explicit pictures of himself to the minors to encourage them to do the same for him.   VALOTTA also sent messages to the minors seeking to arrange in-person sexual liaisons.  VALOTTA’s victims included a North Carolina resident born in August 2007 (Victim 1), an Ohio resident born in July 2008 (Victim 2), and a North Carolina resident born in March 2008 (Victim 3). 

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 www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in investigating this matter.  Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg, Chief of the Public Integrity Unit, was in charge of the prosecution.