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Press Release

Georgia Sex Offender Sentenced To 25 Years In Federal Prison For Sexual Exploitation Of A Louisiana Child

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Louisiana

BATON ROUGE, LA – Acting United States Attorney Corey R. Amundson announced today that Chief U.S. District Court Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced ERIK VINCENT CLARK, 27, of Chamblee, Georgia, to 300 months in federal prison for sexual exploitation of a minor. CLARK was ordered to serve a 10-year term of supervised release following his release from imprisonment. CLARK was also ordered to pay a $5,100 special assessment. At the conclusion of the sentencing, the Court ordered CLARK to begin serving his sentence immediately and remanded CLARK to the custody of the United States Marshal.

 

In 2012, CLARK pled guilty to two counts of sexual battery in the State of Georgia. Because of these prior convictions, CLARK was required to register as a sex offender.

 

On May 12, 2017, CLARK pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251(a) and (e). In connection with his guilty plea, CLARK admitted that, in September 2015, he became acquainted with Child Victim A, a minor child resident of Livingston Parish, Louisiana, through online gaming and social media. In his online chats with Child Victim A, CLARK falsely represented himself to be a 16-year-old boy. After a few days, CLARK obtained Child Victim A’s address and mailed new Xbox headphones to Child Victim A for his use. As their online chats progressed, CLARK asked Child Victim A to engage in sexually explicit conduct via live video chat. CLARK also expressed his intent to travel to Louisiana from Georgia to meet Child Victim A. On October 5, 2015, an investigator assumed Child Victim A’s online identity and sent a fake video file purportedly depicting sexually explicit conduct by Child Victim A to CLARK. Upon receipt, CLARK attempted to open the file and then asked the undercover investigator to send the video again.

 

Acting U.S. Attorney Amundson stated, “Thanks to the courage of the victim, and the coordinated action of state and federal law enforcement officers in Louisiana and Georgia, Erik Clark did not succeed in his ultimate goal. My office is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to identify and stop sexual predators. This case is a reminder to us all that technology that enhances our everyday lives, such as online gaming and social media, also allows sexual predators to target our children far too easily. More than ever, it is important for families to educate themselves about internet safety.”

 

“The conviction and sentencing of Erik Clark is a direct result of what can be accomplished when law enforcement agencies on the local, state, and federal levels work together,” said Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry. “My office will not rest in our efforts to find child predators and bring them to justice.”

 

“Identifying and arresting sexual predators remains a top priority for HSI,” said HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Raymond R. Parmer, Jr. “HSI will continue working with our law enforcement partners to arrest those that exploit our children.”

 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HSI), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Criminal Division of the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office conducted this joint investigation, with assistance from the DeKalb County (Georgia) Police Department, the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Sex Offender Unit of the Georgia Department of Community Supervision. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cam T. Le, who serves as the Project Safe Childhood Coordinator for the Middle District of Louisiana, prosecuted this matter.

 

These federal charges are part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the U.S. 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 those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “Resources” tab for information about Internet safety education.

Updated August 25, 2017

Topic
Project Safe Childhood