Scott Eric Fernquist, Receiving Child Pornography, SC 2024

Scott Eric Fernquist, a 22-year-old resident of Lexington, South Carolina, was meted out a severe punishment today in federal court. The defendant was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for Receiving Child Pornography, a charge stemming from violations of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(2) and (b)(1).

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis imposed the sentence, which also includes $4,000 in restitution and 25 years of Supervised Release. During his supervised release, Fernquist will be compelled to register as a sex offender, undergo sex offender treatment, avoid contact with children, and use the internet under supervision. Additionally, he must submit to random polygraph examinations.

Evidence presented at the plea hearing revealed that Fernquist was trading child pornography online from April to June 2013.

The investigation into this case was a joint effort between agents of the Lexington Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Assistant United States Attorney William E. Day II handled the prosecution from the Columbia office.

This sentence is a part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative aimed at combating online exploitation and abuse of children. The program coordinates federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children through the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information on Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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