Project Safe Childhood -- Two Defendants Sentenced to Federal Prison for Child Pornography Offenses

BECKLEY, W.Va. –  United States Attorney Mike Stuart announced that two different Project Safe Childhood (PSC) defendants were sentenced to federal prison today for child pornography offenses. 

“Wallace and Blake will be in federal prison for many years because of their heinous crimes,” said United States Attorney Mike Stuart.  “Protecting West Virginia children is a top priority for me and my office.  We continue to hold PSC defendants accountable by prosecuting them to the fullest extent of the law.”

Charles Larry Wallace, Jr., 47, of Coal City, West Virginia, was sentenced to serve 262 months (21 years, 10 months) in federal prison for producing child pornography.  Upon release from prison, Wallace will be required to serve a lifetime term of supervised release and register as sex offender. Wallace previously admitted that on January 5, 2019, he took several sexually explicit images of a child under the age of 12 who was in his care at the time. Wallace distributed those images to at least one other individual.

Gordon Blake, 62, of Beckley, West Virginia, was sentenced to serve 14 years in federal prison for possession of child pornography. Upon release from prison, Blake will be required to serve a term of 20 years of supervised release and register as sex offender. Blake previously admitted that on July 21, 2018, he possessed over 600 images of child pornography, many of which depicted prepubescent minors and some of which depicted sadistic conduct. Blake also has previous Pennsylvania convictions from 1997 related to the sexual assault of two minors under the age of 12.

The investigations were conducted by the West Virginia States Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Rada Herrald is in charge of the prosecutions.  United States District Judge Frank W. Volk presided over both sentencing hearings.

These cases were prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative of the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s 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.justice.gov/psc.

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