Charlevoix man pleads guilty on child pornography charges

Scott Thomas Barrett, 49, of Charlevoix, Michigan pleaded guilty on Monday, January 7, 2013, to receiving via the Internet images and videos of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr. announced today.  Barrett faces a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 20 years of imprisonment, and he will be required to serve a term of supervised release after his prison term has been completed.  Barrett will also be required to register as a sexual offender.
The case stemmed from an undercover online investigation that took place in 2011.  During that investigation, an undercover officer was able to download child pornography that Barrett had made available on the Internet.  Agents then executed a search warrant at Barrett’s home and recovered a computer that contained a substantial collection of child pornography.  Barrett gave a full confession and admitted to downloading the child pornography images and videos from the Internet.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  The U.S. Attorney’s Office, county prosecutor’s offices, the Internet Crimes Against Children task force (ICAC), federal, state, and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children.  The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of online child exploitation, and to teach children how to protect themselves.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit the following web site: www.projectsafechildhood.gov.  The Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean M. Lewis prosecuted the case.