Mississippi Man Charged with Attempted Receipt of Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors and Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor

NEW ORLEANS, LA – AVERY FREEL (“FREEL”), age 21, of Ocean Springs, MS, was charged on August 10, 2023 in a two-count indictment for Receipt of Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(4)(B) and (b)(2) and Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1470, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.  

If convicted of Attempted Receipt of Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors, FREEL faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five (5) years up to a maximum of twenty (20) years imprisonment, and/or a fine of up to $250,000.00, or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person of the offense under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571.  If convicted of Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor, FREEL faces a maximum sentence of ten (10) years imprisonment, and/or a fine of up to $250,000.00, or the greater of twice the gross gain to the defendant or twice the gross loss to any person of the offense under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571.  In addition, FREEL faces a term of supervised release of no less than five (5) years and up to life after his release from prison, as well as a mandatory special assessment fee of $100 per count.

U.S. Attorney Evans reiterated that the indictment is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

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 Attorney’s 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 U.S. Attorney’s Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Hammond Police Department, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations with this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.