Lawton Man Sentenced to Serve 30 Years in Federal Prison for Production of Child Pornography

OKLAHOMA CITY – Yesterday, CHARLES RAYMOND FRENCH, JR., 38, of Lawton, was sentenced to serve 360 months in federal prison, the statutory maximum, for production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

On October 3, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a two-count Indictment against French, charging him with production of child pornography and possession of child pornography. According to an affidavit filed in support of the previously filed criminal complaint, on September 6, 2023, an FBI Online Covert Employee (OCE) connected with French on a social media messaging app. During the conversation, French expressed an interest in material that depicts the sexual abuse of children, and shared several photographs and videos of child pornography with the OCE, including two photographs French claimed to have taken himself which involved three-year-old and ten-year-old victims. Authorities linked the account to French, and he was arrested at his Lawton home on September 7, 2023.

On December 1, 2023, French pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the Indictment, and admitted to producing child pornography.

At the sentencing hearing yesterday, U.S District Judge Jodi W. Dishman sentenced French to serve 360 months in federal prison, the statutory maximum, followed by five years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, the Court noted the “depravity” of the crime, specifically that the defendant preyed on the most vulnerable victims in our society: children.  The Court further emphasized that the sentence needed to reflect the extreme nature and seriousness of the defendant’s conduct—given the threat to the safety of the community posed by the defendant—and to send a message to the public that these crimes will be punished severely.

This case is the result of an investigation by the Lawton Division of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Joynes prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC 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 PSC, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.