Louisiana Sex Offender Sentenced to Life for Internet Abuse of Minor

MIAMI – A registered sex offender from Destrehan, Louisiana, has been sentenced to life in federal prison, followed by a consecutive 10-year term, for multiple child exploitation crimes.

Nicolas James Palmisano, 45, was also ordered to serve 20 years of supervised release and pay restitution. U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez imposed the sentence on August 25 after a federal jury found Palmisano guilty in May following a two-day trial.

In 2019, Palmisano had been convicted in St. Charles Parish for sexual offenses involving a juvenile, leading to his registration as a sex offender. In May 2024, he was caught exchanging sexually explicit material with a 15-year-old Martin County minor.

Palmisano admitted to sending thousands of messages and explicit images between February and May, while also soliciting further content from the victim. He was arrested in August after attempting to update his registration at the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office.

The FBI and MCSO led the investigation with assistance from other agencies, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carmen M. Lineberger and Jessica Kahn Obenauf prosecuted the case. The sentencing is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation.

For more information or to report online child sexual exploitation, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov or call 1-800-843-5678.

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