BATON ROUGE, LA - Acting United States Attorney Corey Amundson announced today that U.S. District Court Judge John W. DeGravelles sentenced ANTHONY T. KURTZ, age 42, of Livingston, Louisiana, to 300 months in federal prison as a result of his conviction for distribution of child pornography. The Court further sentenced KURTZ to ten years of supervised release following his term of imprisonment, and to pay restitution to his victims in the amount of $19,500.
On Feb. 18, 2016, KURTZ pled guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(2)(A). At yesterday’s sentencing, the Court noted that KURTZ had previously been convicted of sexual assault and indecent assault in another state and therefore determined that a statutory sentencing enhancement applied in this case. The Court also ordered the defendant to pay restitution to the victims identified as among the children portrayed in the child pornography in KURTZ’s possession.
Acting United States Attorney Corey Amundson stated, “Childhood is a period of dependence and vulnerability. Those who exploit the helplessness of young children by distributing images of them being sexually abused reveal the depths of human depravity. The defendant was already a convicted felon and child sex offender when he began distributing these images. He earned every bit of the severe sentence he received yesterday. Protecting children is among the most solemn of a society’s responsibilities, and it remains a top priority of this office."
ICE-HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Raymond R. Parmer, Jr. stated, “Child pornography is one of the most heinous crimes HSI investigates due to the irrevocable harm it inflicts physically and emotionally upon innocent children. This crime is an outrage in all cases; however, in this instance especially, the depravity of these illegal images was so extreme that the public should breathe a sigh of relief that this subject is now safely behind bars due to the incredible partnership between HSI and our federal, state and local law enforcement partners across Louisiana."
This matter is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office - Cyber Crime Unit, and the Livingston Parish Sheriff’s Office.
This matter is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan R. Crosswell.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
