A Louisville man has been sentenced to over 11 years in federal prison for child pornography offenses. Douglas Huelsman, aged 45, received a sentence of 11 years and 7 months followed by 15 years of supervised release. He was convicted on charges of distributing and possessing child pornography.

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett from the Western District of Kentucky, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman, and Special Agent in Charge Robert Holman of the United States Secret Service.

U.S. Attorney Bennett praised the collaborative efforts between federal and state agencies: “I commend the Secret Service and the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office for their continuing work and partnership in combatting child exploitation throughout the Commonwealth.”

Attorney General Coleman emphasized the impact of Huelsman's sentencing on community safety: “Kentucky’s kids will be safer with this predator behind bars,” he said. “I’m grateful for the zealous collaboration with our partners at the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to demonstrate once again the serious consequences for the exploitation of our children.”

Court documents revealed that Huelsman used an online messaging application to distribute and receive images and videos depicting child sexual abuse material. In addition to his prison sentence, Huelsman was ordered to pay $36,000 in restitution to multiple victims involved in the case.

This case was investigated by both the Kentucky Office of the Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations and the United States Secret Service, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie M. Zimdahl prosecuting.

The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse.