Joshua Nettles Pleads Guilty To Receipt Of Child Pornography

JOSHUA NETTLES, age 37, of Covington, Louisiana, pled guilty as charged before the Honorable Martin L.C. Feldman to the indictment pending against him, announced United States Attorney Dana J. Boente. A federal grand jury returned a twocount indictment on December 13, 2012, charging NETTLES with receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

According to court documents, NETTLES knowingly received and possessed digital images depicting the sexual exploitation of prepubescent minors, including images of victims younger than four (4) years old. A forensic review of NETTLES’S computer revealed that he had downloaded and saved approximately 1409 files and 14 videos depicting the sexual victimization of these children. NETTLES faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five (5) years and a maximum penalty of thirty (30) years, followed by up to a life term of supervised release, and a $500,000 fine. He may also be required to register as a sex offender.

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.

Sentencing in this matter has been scheduled for June 12, 2013, at 1:30 p.m. before the Honorable Martin L.C. Feldman.

This case was investigated by special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecution of this case was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg.

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