An Augusta man was sentenced on July 20 to more than 12 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall and announced by Margaret E. “Meg” Heap, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
Martin Lindner, 52, of Augusta, received a sentence of 151 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to Receipt of Child Pornography. Lindner was also ordered to pay $66,500 in restitution. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to court documents and testimony, Lindner received child pornography in February 2025 using his home computer and peer-to-peer file sharing software. The material included videos and images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
“This sentence reflects the seriousness of crimes that exploit and victimize children,” said U.S. Attorney Heap. “Protecting children from predators is one of our highest priorities, and we will work closely with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who engage in these reprehensible offenses.”
“The receipt of child pornography not only harms the young victims portrayed in those images, but it also fuels a heinous market,” said Matthew Ploskunak, Supervisory Senior Special Agent for the Augusta office of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI remains committed to working with our law enforcement partners to identify and prosecute individuals who commit heinous crimes against minors.”
This case was investigated by the FBI and Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara M. Lyons.
The U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia prosecutes federal crimes, manages civil litigation for the United States, employs about 70 attorneys and support staff, operates under the United States Department of Justice with offices in Savannah and Augusta, promotes community safety through programs such as Project Safe Neighborhoods, and is recognized nationally for its successful prosecutions, according to the official website.