OKLAHOMA CITY – KEONTE NAVON MARTIN, 28, of Virginia Beach, Virginia, was sentenced this morning to serve 48 months in federal prison for possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.
On April 8, 2021, a federal grand jury returned an Indictment against Martin, charging him with four counts of possession of child pornography. According to the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Martin was an Airman employed at Tinker Air Force Base and held the rank of Staff Sergeant at the time of the incident. Martin has since been released from active duty.
On July 1, 2021, Martin pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the Indictment. As part of his plea, Martin admitted that he knowingly possessed a visual depiction that had traveled across state lines to get to Oklahoma, and that the visual depiction involved the use of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.
At the sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge David L. Russell sentenced Martin to serve 48 months in federal prison for his conduct, followed by five years of supervised release. Martin was also ordered to pay a total of $10,100.00 in assessments, and forfeit the electronic devices that contained the exploitative visual depictions. In arriving at the sentence, Judge Russell noted the nature and circumstances and seriousness of the offense, as well as the need to deter others from undertaking similar conduct. Restitution owed to the identified victims in the images that Martin possessed will be determined at a later date.
Upon his release from prison, Martin will be required to register as a sex offender.
This case is the result of an investigation by the United States Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia E. Barry prosecuted the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Reference is made to court filings for further information.