Terrebonne Parish Man Sentenced to 12½ Years Incarceration for Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography

U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced that DARION VEAL, age 21, of Gray, Louisiana, was sentenced today for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children.

U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance sentenced VEAL to 150 months incarceration, to be followed by 20 years of supervised release.  In addition, VEAL will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release.

VEAL was indicted by a federal grand jury as a result of a child exploitation investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”) and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations’ Cyber Crime Unit (“LBICCU”).  According to court records, on January 7, 2015, HSI and LBICCU agents executed a search warrant at VEAL’s residence after determining he received and distributed images depicting the sexual victimization of children.  On March 3, 2015, VEAL was taken into federal custody pursuant to a federal criminal complaint.

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."

U.S. Attorney praised the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-HSI and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations’ Cyber Crime Unit in investigating this matter.  Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Fraud Unit Chief, Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba was in charge of the prosecution.