Seymour Man Gets 18 Months For Possessing Child Pornography

A federal judge sentenced a Seymour man to 18 months behind bars Tuesday for possessing child pornography.

According to federal prosecutors, Joseph Calvin Laughner, 45, used a peer-to-peer file sharing program to download images of child pornography, and in December 2009 state police searched a residence of Laughner’s in Naugatuck, seizing three computers and other computer-related items” that revealed more than 300 images and 22 videos of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Laughner pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography in May before U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall in New Haven.

On Tuesday, Judge Hall sentenced to Laughner to 18 months behind bars, to be followed by five years of supervised release, according to a press release from federal prosecutors.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, which includes federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Deborah R. Slater and Sarala V. Nagala.

The Connecticut Computer Crimes Task Force, which is housed at the FBI office in New Haven, investigates crimes occurring over the Internet, including computer intrusion, Internet fraud, copyright violations, Internet threats and harassment and on-line crimes against children. The Task Force also provides computer forensic review services for participating agencies. 

For more information about the Task Force, please contact the FBI at 203 – 777-6311.

This prosecution is part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood Initiative, which is aimed at protecting children from sexual abuse and exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

To report cases of child exploitation, please visit www.cybertipline.com.

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