Kaplan Sex Offender Sentenced to 7+ Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Child Pornography

LAFAYETTE, La. – United States Attorney David C. Joseph announced that a Kaplan, Louisiana, man with a prior 2002 state conviction of carnal knowledge of a juvenile, was sentenced in federal court today for a child pornography offense.

Jessie C. Comeaux, 37, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael J. Juneau., to 87 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography. Following his imprisonment, Comeaux will be supervised by the United States Probation Office for eight years and will be required to register with the state sex offender registry in any state in which he lives or works. Comeaux pled guilty to this charge on March 12, 2020.

According to court records, the investigation began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) reported a CyberTip to special agents with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations (LBI) Cyber Crimes Unit indicating that an IP address associated with Comeaux’s address used an electronic device to access child pornography. Special agents with U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) obtained a federal court-authorized search warrant, and on April 1, 2019, law enforcement officers with HSI, LBI and Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office executed the search warrant at Comeaux’s residence in Kaplan. A laptop previewed during the search revealed images of child pornography. Comeaux admitted to the officers that he was the primary user of the laptop and that he viewed images of child pornography on the internet involving females 10 and 12 years of age.

A subsequent forensic analysis of Comeaux’s laptop revealed 42 images of pre-pubescent and post-pubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct, some as young as two years of age. Seven of the images had been downloaded by Comeaux from the internet.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Investigations, Louisiana Attorney General’s Office Cyber Crime Unit, and Vermilion Parish Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Danny Siefker prosecuted the case.

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 exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justivce.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the “resources” tab.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) also encourage the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (866) 347-2423. Investigators are available at all hours to answer hotline calls. Tips or other information can also be submitted to ICE online by visiting their website at www.ice.gov/tipline or through the Operation Predator smartphone application www.ice.gov/predator/smartphone-app. Tips may be submitted anonymously.

Tips may also be submitted through your local law enforcement agency or through the following agencies:

• Leave a tip with the FBI at https://tips.fbi.gov. Tips may be submitted anonymously.
• File a report with NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST or online at www.cybertipline.org.