Child Predator Sentenced to 97 Months In Federal Prison

United States Attorney Brandon J.  Fremin announced that U.S. District Court Judge Brian A. Jackson sentenced STEVEN J. EVERHARDT, age 52, of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to serve 97 months in federal prison following his conviction for possession of child pornography.  EVERHARDT will also be required to serve five years of supervised release, register as a convicted sex offender upon his release from prison, pay a special assessment of $5,100, and pay a total of $66,000 in restitution to the victims who were identified as children photographed in the images.

This criminal case began when the FBI conducted an undercover operation and obtained numerous images of child pornography from an IP address at EVERHARDT’s home.  During a subsequent search of EVERHARDT’s home, over 50,000 images were discovered on EVERHARDT’s computers.  These images were of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, some of which depicted the sexual abuse of toddlers, sadistic or masochistic conduct involving minor victims, and violence against minor victims.  On December 10, 2018, EVERHARDT pled guilty to one count of knowingly possessing material which contained images of child pornography.

U.S. Attorney Fremin stated, “The sexual exploitation of children is one of the most despicable acts of human behavior and will always be a priority for this office.  This conviction and sentence should serve as a reminder that this office will not tolerate those who prey upon innocent and vulnerable children.  We will use every resource at our disposal to reach our goal of keeping children safe from the predators who exploit them.  I want to thank the prosecutors in our office as well as the FBI for their important work in this case.”

FBI New Orleans SAC Eric Rommal stated, “Steven Everhardt preyed upon vulnerable and innocent children, many of whom were too young to communicate they were being abused. There is no place in society for sexual deviants like Steven Everhardt or anyone of his kind. The FBI remains committed to working with our ICAC partners, the LA Attorney General's Office, Louisiana State Police, Homeland Security Investigations, and East Baton Rouge Sheriff's Office to eradicate all forms of child sexual abuse."

This matter is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Menner.