Omaha Man Convicted for Possession of Child Pornography

United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Cecil Gunnels, Jr., 36, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on March 13, 2020 in Omaha by United States District Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr. for possession of child pornography.  Gunnels was sentenced to 97 months in prison to run concurrent to a 15- to 18-year prison sentence on a State attempted sexual assault on a child in the 1^st degree. There is no parole in the federal system.  After his release from prison, Gunnels will serve a five-year term of supervised release and will be required to register as a sex offender.

Gunnels was investigated by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and the Papillion Police Department after an allegation was made regarding Gunnels sexually assaulting a minor. That investigation lead to the search of his residence and the seizure of electronic devices, which were found to contain child pornography.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s 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, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol and the Omaha FBI's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.