Thursday, October 11, 2012

Former U.S. Navy Seaman Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Possessing Child Pornograph

WASHINGTON – A former U.S. Navy seaman was sentenced today to five years in prison for possessing child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

James Driver, 24, of Midland, Mich., was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington in the Eastern District of Michigan.  In addition to his prison term, Driver was sentenced to five years of supervised release.  After Driver completes his prison term, he must register as a sex offender as a condition of release.

Following a four-day jury trial, Driver was found guilty on May 21, 2012, of one count of possessing child pornography.  According to court documents and testimony presented during the trial, the case originated from a Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) investigation into an individual, later identified as Driver, suspected of possessing and distributing child pornography using a peer-to-peer file sharing network.  Driver, who at the time was a U.S. Navy seaman stationed in Japan, admitted in an interview to being interested in child pornography for the past five years.
   
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 U.S. Attorneys’ offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, 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.
       
The case was prosecuted by CEOS Trial Attorney Mi Yung Park and former CEOS Trial Attorney Thomas Franzinger.  The case was investigated by NCIS and CEOS’s High Technology Investigative Unit.  Assistance was provided by the FBI’s Innocent Images Unit.

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