Charles M. Prideaux

Josh J. Minkler, Acting United States Attorney, announced today Charles M. Prideaux, 47, Evansville, was sentenced to 60 months in prison by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young for possession of sexually explicit material involving minors.

This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Child Exploitation Task Force and the Evansville Police Department.

“Protecting our innocent children from Internet predators will remain a top priority of our office,” said Minkler. “Distributing pornography re-victimizes our children every time it is passed from one person to another.”

Prideaux pleaded guilty to the charge immediately before being sentenced yesterday. Prideaux admitted he used a laptop computer to search for and download child pornography using file sharing software that he loaded on to the computer system. Prideaux operated the computer from his residence in Evansville, before the computer was seized by law enforcement investigators on Nov. 1, 2012.

According to Assistant U.S. Attorney, Todd Shellenbarger, who prosecuted the case for the government, Young also imposed a 10-year-term of supervised release. During the period of supervised release, Prideaux must register as a sex offender, participate in a sex offender treatment program, and cannot have any unsupervised contact with minors. The Court also ordered the forfeiture of computer equipment used in the offense which will be destroyed by the government. Prideaux must submit to drug testing while on supervision.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood, marshals, federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resource.”