Cybertip Report Leads to Lengthy Prison Sentence for Vinton Resident

 LAKE CHARLES, La. – Gerald Allen Beaudeaux, 32, of Vinton, Louisiana, was sentenced today for possession and receipt of child pornography, Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced. United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr. sentenced Beaudeaux to 160 months (13 years, 4 months) in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release.

Evidence presented at the guilty plea hearing on August 13, 2020, revealed that law enforcement agents received a Cybertip report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in August 2018 indicating a Dropbox user had uploaded images and videos containing child pornography through the internet to an account. An investigation revealed that Gerald Allen Beaudeaux was the suspected user and owner of the Dropbox account and on December 19, 2018, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant for his residence and cellular phone. On Beaudeaux’s cellular phone, agents discovered over 600 images of child pornography, including images of prepubescent children who had not attained the age of 12 and infant children. Beaudeaux admitted that he had in fact uploaded the images to his the Dropbox account and used his cellular phone to view the child pornography.

The Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel J. Vermaelen prosecuted the case.