Milan man sentenced to 10 years in prison for possession of child pornography
PRESS RELEASE FROM THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE - WESTERN DISTRICT OF TENNESSEE:
Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Possession of Child Pornography
Jackson, TN – James Ballew, 74, of Milan, Tennessee, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for possessing child pornography. D. Michael Dunavant, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee, announced the sentence today.
Ballew was charged with two counts of possession of child pornography. According to the information presented during the sentencing hearing, on February 10, 2023, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents executed a search warrant on Ballew’s residence in Milan. Agents seized two computers during the execution of the search warrant. Additionally, agents obtained a search warrant to search both computers. As a result of the search of both computers, agents discovered Ballew possessed 143,343 photographs and 7,848 videos depicting child sexual abuse material.
Following his guilty plea for possession of child pornography, United States District Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Ballew to 10 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release. Additionally, Ballew must comply with the conditions of the Sexual Offender Registry upon his release.
There is no parole in the federal system.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, “Possession of child pornography is an abhorrent and disturbing crime that endangers and harms real child victims forever. And it doesn’t take an economist to know that demand drives supply. By seeking out and possessing thousands of images and videos of young children being sexually abused, Ballew contributed to their past victimization. And by fueling the demand for child pornography, his conduct likely also contributed to the future harm done to children in the name of profit. We will always seek significant and mandatory minimum sentences for such despicable and predatory behavior, and this successful prosecution has incapacitated a real threat to our children and our community in West Tennessee.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Office and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate and apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Milan Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Adam Davis prosecuted this case on behalf of the government.
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