United States Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. announced that Todd Eric Tripp, age 35, of Sorrento, Louisiana, pled guilty before U.S. District Judge John W. deGravelles to receipt of child pornography. As a result of his conviction, Tripp faces a significant term of imprisonment, a fine, and a period of supervised release-which includes sex offender registration requirements.
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According to admissions made during his plea, from March 2020, and continuing until October 2020, Tripp used a multimedia instant messaging application to obtain child pornography. Tripp received at least 15 images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
This matter was being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Ascension Parish Sherriff's Office, and the York County, South Carolina Sheriff's Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward H. Warner and Criminal Chief Jamie A. Flowers Jr.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, 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 U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
