Ponchatoula Man Indicted for Receipt of Materials Involving the Sexual Exploitation of Minors

NEW ORLEANS – DANIEL JUSTIN MAHAN, age 42, a resident of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, was indicted today for receipt of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. 

MAHAN was arrested on March 15, 2018, by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) subsequent to the execution of a search warrant at his home.  The FBI’s investigation revealed that MAHAN was in possession of a laptop computer which contained images depicting the sexual victimization of prepubescent children. 

If convicted, MAHAN faces a mandatory minimum five-year term of imprisonment and a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment to be followed by up to a life term of supervised release, and a $250,000.00 fine.

U. S. Attorney Duane A. 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 launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”   

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The prosecution is being handled by Assistant United States Attorney Tracey N. Knight.