Lafayette, Louisiana – Phillip Sessa Jr., 30, of Essex, Maryland, was sentenced to 97 months in prison and 15 years of supervised release for possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Stephanie A. Finley.
A search of Sessa’s Opelousas residence in November 2011 turned up compact discs, computer hard drives and a phone containing child pornography, including over 1,000 videos depicting children in sexual situations.
When questioned about the images on his computer, Sessa said some were of his girlfriend’s children who resided in the Baltimore, Maryland, area.
Sessa was later released pending the investigation, and in December 2011, he moved back to Maryland. Over the course of the investigation, authorities seized more than 150,000 images and videos.
Sessa was arrested in January 2012 and pleaded guilty July 23, 2012.
“Possessing obscene and illegal images is a serious crime that will not be tolerated,” Finley said. “Protecting children from exploitation is a priority for our office. We will not stop prosecuting those who promote the abuse of children by possessing such images.”
The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and the Louisiana State Police-Criminal Investigations Division investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Luke Walker prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ 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.
Related Federal Cases
- James Michael Hinson, Receiving Child Pornography, Louisiana 2023 · Louisiana
- Thomas Hanes, Child Pornography Distribution and Possession, Louisiana 2016 · Louisiana
- Christopher Orgeron, Child Pornography Receipt, Louisiana 2015 · Louisiana
- Craig Quintal, Child Pornography Exploitation, Louisiana 2023 · Louisiana
- Damian Barbarito Romero, Child Pornography Possession, Louisiana 2018 · Louisiana
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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