Metairie Man Sentenced to 72 Months After Pleading Guilty to Receipt of Child Pornography

U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that BRIAN LISTER, age 41, of Metairie, Louisiana, was sentenced today to 72 months imprisonment by United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo after previously pleading guilty to a one-count Indictment charging him with receipt of images and videos depicting the sexual exploitation of children.  LISTER was sentenced to pay $7,500 in restitution, and a mandatory special assessment fee of $100.  LISTER was also ordered to register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation executed a search warrant at LISTER’S residence on July 23, 2015, after obtaining information that LISTER had repeatedly accessed a website dedicated to the advertisement and distribution of child pornography.  During the search, the FBI seized numerous electronic items including one laptop computer and one external digital storage device that contained images and videos of child pornography.  A forensic examination of the device revealed that LISTER used the devices to search for, download, and save images and videos of children as young as approximately two (2) year old engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  LISTER obtained most, if not all, of the images and videos via a via a peer-to-peer file sharing program.  The forensic examination located approximately 1,148 images and 1 videos of prepubescent children engaging in sexually explicit on LISTER’S electronic devices.

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.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg.