Two Middle Tennessee Men Sentenced To Prison This Week In Child Pornography Cases

Two Middle Tennessee men were sentenced to lengthy prison terms this week for their role in child pornography cases, announced David Rivera, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Joseph S. Nichols, 31, of Nashville, Tennessee, was sentenced on January 11, 2016, by U.S. District Court Todd Campbell, to serve 18 years in prison, followed by lifetime supervision. Nichols pleaded guilty to distribution of child pornography on September 14, 2015. 

While on probation for an earlier state court conviction for possession of child pornography, Nichols was required to register as a sex offender and was prohibited from obtaining Internet access on any computer without written permission from his probation officer.  However, Nichols admitted that soon after his conviction, he began using the Internet to download and collect vast amounts of child pornography, which he also shared with others.

On March 31, 2011, law enforcement officers discovered that Nichols was illegally collecting and distributing child pornography when they went to his residence to serve him with an outstanding warrant for violating the sex offender registration law.  Nichols subsequently admitted that he had collected hundreds of thousands of images and videos of the sexual abuse of children and that he had traded this material with other like-minded individuals.  He further admitted his personal attraction to children aged 10 and 11 years, and stated that several years earlier he had fondled two girls under the age of three while working on computers in their homes.  Forensic analysis of Nichols’ computer confirmed that he collected well over 40,000 images and 160 videos of child pornography, which included depictions of prepubescent children and violence. 

Daniel Bruce LaDeau, 66, of Summertown, Tennessee, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Kevin Sharp to serve 115 months in prison, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release.  LaDeau was found guilty by a federal jury of conspiracy to possess child pornography on May 28, 2015. 

"The United States Attorney’s Office will continue to diligently and aggressively prosecute individuals who exploit children, particularly those who are discovered to have been doing so for many years,” said U.S. Attorney David Rivera.  “We are grateful for the relationships we have with our federal and local law enforcement agencies who often work jointly to investigate cases that result in the removal of child predators from the community.”

The investigation of LaDeau began in April 2010 when Inspectors at Donald W. Wyatt Federal Detention Center in Central Falls, Rhode Island became aware of coded messages being sent between inmate Daniel LaDeau and his younger brother David Ladeau, who was also incarcerated, pending resolution of federal charges of possession of child pornography.

Between March and August of 2010, the LaDeau brothers exchanged letters in which the two conspired to obtain sexually explicit images and videos of young boys from the Internet.  Daniel LaDeau, who was a novice computer user, often lamented of his inability to find images and videos he had previously viewed, which prompted his brother David to provide him with instructions and suggestions about how to obtain such sexually explicit images and videos of young boys from the Internet.  In addition to discussing how to find child pornography online, the two brothers also discussed in these letters their mutual sexual interest in young boys, referenced prior sexual contact with minor boys, and shared fantasies about engaging in sexual activity with minor boys. 

Evidence during the jury trial and sentencing hearings for Daniel LaDeau revealed his sexual attraction to undeveloped minor boys, and LaDeau admitted to having collected child pornography for decades since he was a young man, and further admitted to molesting approximately 100 minor boys.  The court cited numerous reasons for imposing a sentence near the statutory maximum of 10 years, including the history and characteristics of the defendant, the need to protect the safety of the community, and the need to deter others from collecting child pornography.  In determining the sentence, the court found that LaDeau had possessed between 300 and 600 images of child pornography, including images of prepubescent boys and images that included depictions of violence. 

The Nichols case was investigated by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Daughtrey.  The LaDeau case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations; the United States Secret Service; the Special Investigations Unit of the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Rhode Island; and the Franklin, Tennessee Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carrie Daughtrey and Brent Hannafan.