OWENSBORO, Kentucky – An Ohio County, Kentucky man was sentenced yesterday to 235 months in prison followed by a 10-year term of supervised release for distribution and possession of child pornography. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents, Freddie Fulton, 41, of Beaver Dam, Kentucky used a messaging application to upload an image of child pornography. After identifying Fulton as the likely sender, law enforcement searched Fulton’s phone, finding 286 images and 25 videos of child pornography. Fulton’s laptop contained additional images of child pornography, and the investigation found that Fulton had created certain images by misrepresenting his identity and then engaging in sexual acts with a victim.
Officers sent materials found on Fulton’s electronic devices to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) for victim identification, resulting in the identification of numerous image and video files involving known child sexual abuse material. Altogether, Fulton’s collection included victims from 21 identified child pornography series that are circulated on the internet from around the world, including Germany, Lithuania, Moldova, the Netherlands, Russia, Slovenia, Ukraine, and the United States.
“Outstanding investigative work by HSI Nashville and the Kentucky State Police,” stated United States Attorney Michael A. Bennett. “We will continue to aggressively prosecute individuals who sexually exploit and abuse our children. The victims of such offensive criminal conduct deserve nothing less.”
“Our agents are committed to protecting vulnerable children from exploitation by predators involved with the production, distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material,” said HSI Nashville Special Agent in Charge Jerry C. Templet, Jr. “We will continue to use every investigative tool available, working in collaboration with our law enforcement partners, to ensure these perpetrators are apprehended and punished for their appalling crimes.”
United States Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case with assistance from the Kentucky State Police.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Madison Sewell prosecuted the case.
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This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”