Significant Federal Sentences Imposed in Child Pornography Cases

HAMMOND, IN—The United States Attorney’s Office announced the following:

• Blake Titus, 23, of West Lafayette, Indiana, was sentenced by Senior District Judge Rudy Lozano to 240 months’ imprisonment and lifetime supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offense of distribution of child pornography. According to the documents filed by the government in this case, law enforcement, using a peer-to-peer file sharing program via an Internet-connected computer, observed an individual sharing files that had titles indicative of child pornography. A subpoena served on the Internet Service Provider revealed that the IP address was assigned to Blake Titus. A search warrant was executed that revealed approximately 10 to 20 images and at least 100 videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on a laptop and an external hard drive belonging to Titus. This case resulted from an investigation by members of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Highland Police Department, the Kokomo City Police Department, the Brownsburg Police Department, and the Indiana State Police. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.
• Carl Agnew, 29, of West Lafayette, Indiana, was sentenced by Chief Judge Philip Simon to 120 months’ imprisonment and 20 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to the felony offenses of possession and distribution of child pornography. According to the documents filed by the government in this case, an agent member of the Cyber Crime Task Force located in Kansas City, Missouri, launched the peer-to-peer program that queried a network of users logged in at the time. One user who used the name “Brighteyedboy” was logged into the network. The agent proceeded to browse Brighteyedboy’s shared directories and previewed image files being shared by Brighteyedboy. The agent selected 235 files and found 196 of them had images depicting child pornography. An administrative subpoena served on the IP produced documentation identifying Agnew as the user. A search warrant at Agnew’s residence resulted in forensic examiners finding over 6,000 images and over 600 videos depicting child pornography on his computer equipment. This case resulted from an investigation by members of the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Kokomo Police Department, and the Indiana State Police. This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jill Koster.

These cases were 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 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, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

United States Attorney Announces Gun, Child Pornography Charges Against Evansville Man

INDIANAPOLIS—Joseph H. Hogsett, the United States Attorney, announced today that Logan A. Wells, age 18, of Evansville, has been charged with possessing sexually explicit material involving minor children and with possessing a firearm as a drug abuser. This follows a collaborative investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Cyber Crimes Task Force, along with the Evansville Police Department Narcotics Task Force.
“The charges against this defendant allege a lifestyle of lawlessness that has no place in the Indiana,” Hogsett said. “Guns, drugs, and the exploitation of children are all scourges on this community, and our office is dedicated to holding accountable those who engage or encourage such criminal acts.”
The formal charges allege that on June 26, 2012, Wells was found by Vanderburgh County law enforcement to be in possession of a substantial number of images that depicted minor children engaging in sexually explicit conduct. These materials were allegedly saved on an Apple MacBook in the defendant’s home. The documents also allege that Wells was using marijuana when he was found by law enforcement and was in possession of a .22 caliber semiautomatic pistol in violation of federal law.
According to Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd S. Shellenbarger, who is prosecuting the case for the government, Wells faces a maximum of 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine if he is found guilty on all counts. Under federal law, defendants must serve a minimum of 85 percent of their prison term inside a correctional facility. An initial hearing will be scheduled in Evansville before a U.S. Magistrate Judge.
This case was 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 abuse.