A Maryland man was found guilty by a federal jury yesterday and sentenced today to serve 30 years in prison for his participation in a global online child pornography conspiracy, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Hogsett of the Southern District of Indiana.
Following a four-day trial, Roger Lee Loughry Sr., 57, of Baltimore, was found guilty yesterday by a federal jury in the Southern District of Indiana of one count of conspiracy to advertise child pornography, one count of conspiracy to distribute child pornography, 12 counts of advertising child pornography and two counts of distributing child pornography, in connection with his role as an administrator of an online child pornography bulletin board.
Loughry was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Baker in the Southern District of Indiana. In addition to his prison term, Loughry was sentenced to serve lifetime supervised release.
Evidence presented at trial revealed that Loughry had been an active member of a child pornography bulletin board since November 2005 and had participated in numerous administrative functions on the online board during his membership, including adding new members to the board. In addition, evidence introduced at trial established that Loughry’s home was searched in September 2008, at which time computers and computer media were seized. Trial evidence showed that upon review of the seized materials, investigators discovered images and videos depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
The charges against Loughry were a result of “Operation Nest Egg,” a joint investigation led by the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Operation Nest Egg, launched in February 2008, targeted 26 defendants charged in the Southern District of Indiana, as well as approximately 500 additional individuals located throughout the world for their involvement in an online group dedicated to trading images of child pornography.
Loughry had previously been tried and convicted of the same charges in April 2010. On Oct. 11, 2011, his convictions were reversed and the case was remanded for a new trial.
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 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 case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven D. DeBrota of the Southern District of Indiana and CEOS Trial Attorneys Keith Becker and Amy Larson. The investigation was conducted jointly by CEOS’ High Technology Investigative Unit, USPIS and ICE, with assistance provided by the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, Indiana State Police, and numerous local and international law enforcement agencies across the United States and Europe.
Following a four-day trial, Roger Lee Loughry Sr., 57, of Baltimore, was found guilty yesterday by a federal jury in the Southern District of Indiana of one count of conspiracy to advertise child pornography, one count of conspiracy to distribute child pornography, 12 counts of advertising child pornography and two counts of distributing child pornography, in connection with his role as an administrator of an online child pornography bulletin board.
Loughry was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Sarah Baker in the Southern District of Indiana. In addition to his prison term, Loughry was sentenced to serve lifetime supervised release.
Evidence presented at trial revealed that Loughry had been an active member of a child pornography bulletin board since November 2005 and had participated in numerous administrative functions on the online board during his membership, including adding new members to the board. In addition, evidence introduced at trial established that Loughry’s home was searched in September 2008, at which time computers and computer media were seized. Trial evidence showed that upon review of the seized materials, investigators discovered images and videos depicting minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
The charges against Loughry were a result of “Operation Nest Egg,” a joint investigation led by the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Operation Nest Egg, launched in February 2008, targeted 26 defendants charged in the Southern District of Indiana, as well as approximately 500 additional individuals located throughout the world for their involvement in an online group dedicated to trading images of child pornography.
Loughry had previously been tried and convicted of the same charges in April 2010. On Oct. 11, 2011, his convictions were reversed and the case was remanded for a new trial.
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 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 case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven D. DeBrota of the Southern District of Indiana and CEOS Trial Attorneys Keith Becker and Amy Larson. The investigation was conducted jointly by CEOS’ High Technology Investigative Unit, USPIS and ICE, with assistance provided by the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, Indiana State Police, and numerous local and international law enforcement agencies across the United States and Europe.
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