Loper Gets 27 Years for Sickening Child Porn

FORT SMITH, AR – James Robert Loper, 42, of Greenwood, Arkansas, will spend the next 27 years in federal prison after being sentenced today for receiving and possessing horrific child pornography. Chief Judge P.K. Holmes, III handed down the sentence in the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas.

Loper received 324 months on one count of Receipt of Child Pornography and 240 months on one count of Possession of Child Pornography. These sentences will run concurrently, but Loper will also serve a lifetime term of supervised release following his imprisonment. The case originated with a cyber-tip on August 13, 2016, flagged by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, alerting the Northwest Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to a Twitter account actively uploading child pornography in the Fort Smith area.

Investigators quickly traced the account to Loper’s cell phone. A subsequent search of his residence on September 15, 2016, revealed the sickening truth. Loper confessed to using the Twitter account to receive the images and videos. Authorities seized three cell phones, which contained over 200 images and 30 videos of child pornography. Disturbingly, one video depicted sexually explicit conduct involving female children under the age of three. This wasn’t Loper’s first time. He was already a convicted sex offender on federal supervision when these crimes were committed.

The investigation revealed Loper didn’t just consume the abuse material; he actively participated in its dissemination, sharing sexually explicit images with a 16-year-old girl via Twitter. He was indicted in October 2016 and pleaded guilty the following month. The evidence painted a clear picture of a repeat offender with a depraved appetite for exploiting vulnerable children.

“Identifying and arresting sexual predators remains a top priority for HSI,” stated Raymond R. Parmer, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the New Orleans field office for Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). “HSI appreciates the teamwork of the Greenwood Police Department and the U.S. Probation and Parole, along with our other law enforcement partners, in ensuring this multiple offender was brought to justice.”

The case was a collaborative effort between Homeland Security Investigations, the Greenwood Police Department, Arkansas Probation and Parole, and the Northwest Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Denis Dean skillfully prosecuted the case, ensuring Loper faced the full weight of the law. Court documents are available at www.pacer.gov.