Collinsville Man Sentenced To 30 Months in Prison for Receipt of Child Pornography

District Judge John E. Dowdell sentenced Jeffrey Ray Townsend, 52, of Collinsville, to 30 months in prison followed by 5 years supervised release.  He will also have to register as a Sex Offender. The Court also imposed a mandatory Special Assessment of $5,100.  Townsend pleaded guilty on May 8, 2018, to one count of accessing with intent to view child pornography.

On December 2, 2015, Townsend accessed a video conferencing website and entered a specific room known to stream child pornography.  Townsend streamed two videos containing child pornography involving boys and girls approximately 12 to 14 years old.

United States Attorney Shores stated, “Streaming sexually explicit material involving children further perpetuates the victimization of our most vulnerable citizens.  It is the priority of my office to protect those who choose to take advantage of our children.”

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 Attorney’s 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The charges are the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Tulsa Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey A. Gallant handled the prosecution of this case.