Texas Man Sentenced for Transportation of Child Pornography

Acting U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that JAMES PUCKETT, age 46, of Livingston, Texas, was sentenced today for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children.

U.S. District Judge Jay Zainey sentenced PUCKETT to five years’ incarceration, followed by fifteen years of supervised release. PUCKETT will also be required to register as a sex offender pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

According to court documents, PUCKETT, who worked as a crewman on an offshore vessel, transported child pornography from Texas to Louisiana in April 2016. HSI computer forensic examiners located images depicting the sexual victimization of children on the defendant’s Padfone X Mini after he was encountered by federal agents at Port Fourchon. The images transported by PUCKETT contained images depicting the rape, bondage, and sexual exploitation of pre-pubescent children.

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.”

Acting U.S. Attorney Evans praised the work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations in investigating this matter. The prosecution of this case is being handled by Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Fraud Section Chief, Assistant U. S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba.