Christopher Michael Sommers, Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials, Louisiana 2024

Slidell Man Faces 10 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Materials

NEW ORLEANS, LA – A Slidell man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession of child sexual abuse materials, announced U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans.

Christopher Michael Sommers, 42, was sentenced to 10 years in prison followed by a 15-year term of supervised release and a $100 mandatory special assessment fee. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo on December 18, 2024.

The case against Sommers developed from an undercover online investigation by the Apache Junction Police Department in Arizona into individuals who were sharing child sexual abuse material. On April 3, 2024, Homeland Security Investigations special agents, along with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, executed a federal search warrant at Sommers' residence in Slidell.

During the execution of the search warrant, Sommers was found in possession of a Samsung 256 gigabyte USB thumb drive containing 950 images and videos depicting the sexual victimization of minors. The images and videos were a result of a conviction in 2011 for receiving child pornography.

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 United States Attorney's Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (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.

The U.S. Attorney's Office would also like to acknowledge the assistance of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; the St Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office; The Apache Junction Police Department; and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, with this matter.

The prosecution of this case is being handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-edla/pr/slidell-man-sentenced-possession-child-sexual-abuse-materials