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January 13, 2009
Slidell man sentenced in child pornography case following ICE investigation
NEW ORLEANS - A 32-year-old man was sentenced here Thursday for possession of child pornography following a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) led investigation.
Agegnehu Tsega, an illegal alien originally from Ethiopia and living in Slidell, Louisiana, was sentenced before U. S. District Judge Mary Ann Vial Lemmon to thirty-nine (39) months in prison to be followed by a life term of supervised release for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children.
Tsega pleaded guilty on October 1, 2008 following an indictment that charged him with possession of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors. According to documents filed in federal court, ICE agents discovered that Tsega was in possession of approximately 9,000 images and videos depicting the sexual victimization of children. Judge Lemmon remanded Tsega to the custody of the U. S. Marshal's Service. He will be deported from the United States after completing his prison sentence.
"This investigation is a clear indication of ICE's resolve to search out those who use the Internet to sexually exploit innocent children," said Michael A. Holt, special agent-in-charge of ICE's Office of Investigations in New Orleans. "Some predators mistakenly believe that the anonymity of cyberspace shields them from scrutiny; in fact, their use of computers and the Internet have given us new tools to use in our enforcement efforts."
The prosecution of this case was handled by Assistant U. S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba.
The arrest of Agegnehu Tsega was part of a nationwide initiative known as Operation Falcon, an operation that focuses on protecting our children from sexual predators. Internet child pornographers and criminal alien sex offenders and child traffickers are and continue to be a priority for ICE. "Operation Falcon" has resulted in more than 160 arrests in the United States and more than 1,000 arrests worldwide.
Additional information about Operation Falcon is available on the Web at www.ice.gov http://www.ice.gov. ICE encourages the reporting of suspected child abusers through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or www.cybertipline.com http://www.cybertipline.com.
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