Huntsville Man Sentenced to More than Eight Years for Possession of Child Pornography

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – A federal judge this week sentenced a Madison County man for possession of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger.

U.S. District Judge Liles C. Burke sentenced Gregory Wade Hughes, 33, of Huntsville, to 101 months in prison followed by lifetime of supervised release.  Hughes was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution to the victims.  In January 2023,  Hughes pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography.  

According to court documents, Homeland Security Investigations received seventeen cybertips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) relating to an internet protocol (IP) address that had uploaded apparent child sexual abuse materials online. Investigation revealed that the IP address was subscribed at a residence where Hughes lived.  On July 12, 2018, a search warrant was executed on the residence and several electronic devices were seized.  Forensic examination revealed child sexual abuse material on two of Hughes’ devices.  Hughes was interviewed and admitted that he had searched for pornographic videos and images involving children under the age of thirteen.  This conviction will require Hughes to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). 

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) along with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Leann White and John M. Hundscheid prosecuted the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.