Hogsett Announces Sentencing of Area Man for Possessing, Distributing Child Pornography

Latest Successful Prosecution by Nationally Recognized Project Safe Childhood Team

NEW ALBANY—Joseph H. Hogsett, the United States Attorney, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Brant Cook, announced today that Jason Helm, age 31, was sentenced to 120 months (10 years) in prison today by U.S. District Judge Richard Young following his guilty plea to possessing and distributing child pornography. This sentencing comes after an extensive investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Indiana State Police, and the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC).

“Today we can announce another successful prosecution in our ongoing effort to protect Hoosier children and hold accountable those who exploit or endanger them,” Hogsett said. “No matter who you are or where you are in this country, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Indiana and our federal and state law enforcement partners will find you and bring you to justice.”

In late 2010, Indiana ICAC received information that an individual in Madison, Indiana was distributing images of child pornography. Further investigation allowed law enforcement to trace e-mails received in Georgia to the residence of Jason Helm. On December 13, 2010, a search warrant was executed on the residence by federal and local officers.

During the course of executing that search warrant, investigators found an organized collection of child pornography. All told, several hundred sexually explicit images depicting children were recovered. The criminal complaint indicates that at that time, Helm admitted to a long-time interest in child pornography and further admitted to distributing and trading such images over the Internet.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney A. Brant Cook, who prosecuted the case for the government, Judge Young also imposed lifetime supervised release following Helm’s release from prison.

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 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 Projectsafechildhood.gov