Sex Offender Sentenced For Distribution Of Child Pornography

Defendant Possessed and Distributed Child Pornography

ATLANTA – Milton Hugh Cashwell, a previously convicted sex offender who distributed graphic images of child pornography over the Internet was sentenced today to 20 years in prison. 

“The distribution of images portraying the sexual abuse of children is horrific,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “The crime is made that much more egregious by the fact that the defendant had been previously convicted of molesting children.  We will continue to identify and prosecute offenders who victimize innocent children.”

“While it is no surprise that a sex offender previously convicted of crimes involving children would be involved in the distribution of child pornography, the level of depravity on display in these cases is extremely troubling,” said Brock D. Nicholson, special agent in charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations in Atlanta. “Everyone has a stake in stopping the sexual exploitation of our children. Trading in this filth is not OK; this is not a victimless crime.”

According to United States Attorney Yates and the information contained in public documents: During an undercover child pornography investigation in July 2012, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent made contact with Cashwell after Cashwell offered to trade child pornography images online.  Cashwell is a previously convicted sex offender, having been convicted of exploiting several children in Sumter County, Ga. in the 1980s.  Cashwell distributed five separate videos containing graphic images of child pornography to the agent by email, including a video that showed an adult male raping a female child approximately six years of age.  Federal agents subsequently executed a search warrant at Cashwell’s home in Americus, Ga.  During that search, agents found broken pieces of Cashwell’s cell phone in his backyard, a phone he attempted to destroy to avoid being caught with the pornographic images.

Cashwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison, to be followed by a lifetime period of supervised release by United States District Court Judge Steve C. Jones.  There is no parole in the federal system.  Cashwell was convicted of the charge on March 29, 2013, upon his plea of guilty.           

This case was investigated by Special Agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.

 This case is being 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc/ .

Assistant United States Attorney Jill E. Steinberg prosecuted the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the HomePage for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is www.justice.gov/usao/gan.