NEW ORLEANS, LA – Dwight Joseph, Jr., 34, of New Orleans, has confessed to a sickening pair of federal crimes: possession of child pornography and deliberately failing to register as a sex offender. U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite announced the guilty plea today, bringing a sliver of justice to a case steeped in depravity.
Court records reveal that Joseph’s history of exploitation dates back to 2005, when he was convicted in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, for disseminating child sex acts. This conviction mandated at least ten years of sex offender registration – a requirement Joseph brazenly ignored. Beginning around April 2015, he relocated to New Orleans and intentionally failed to notify authorities in either Louisiana or Pennsylvania of his presence, effectively vanishing from the system designed to protect potential victims.
The charade ended September 9, 2015, when law enforcement executed a search warrant at Joseph’s residence. What they found was a digital abyss of horror. A forensic examination of seized electronic devices uncovered approximately 725 images and 69 videos depicting prepubescent children – some younger than one year old – engaged in sexually explicit acts. The content included depictions of rape, forced oral sex on adult men, and incest. This wasn’t just possession; it was a curated collection of unspeakable abuse.
Joseph now faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years behind bars and a potential maximum sentence of 20 years for the child pornography charge alone. The failure to register adds another potential 10-year sentence to his looming fate. Beyond imprisonment, he could be sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release, a $250,000 fine *per count*, and will almost certainly be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance has scheduled sentencing for May 17, 2017.
This case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to aggressively combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation. The program pools federal, state, and local resources to identify, apprehend, and prosecute predators who prey on children online and to rescue victims. You can find more information at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
U.S. Attorney Polite specifically lauded the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation Cyber Crime Unit, the United States Marshals Service, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations for their diligent work in bringing Joseph to justice. Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg is leading the prosecution, ensuring that this monster faces the full weight of the law. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the sentencing.
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Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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