United States Attorney Brandon J.  Fremin announced that U.S. Chief Judge Shelly D. Dick sentenced Brian Normand, age 30, of Zachary, Louisiana, to serve 195 months in federal prison following his conviction for production of child pornography.  The Court also ordered Normand to serve fifteen years of supervised release after imprisonment, and he must register as a convicted sex offender for life. 

According to admissions Normand made during his plea, on or about August 29, 2015, Normand used his phone to create a video depicting a juvenile male under the age of 12 years old, engaging in sexually explicit conduct.  Normand then utilized the internet to upload the video, via his Google accounts where he also stored other images of child pornography, to the servers of the Google Drive Photos file storage infrastructure. 

U.S. Attorney Fremin stated, “This case highlights the commitment and efforts of the entire law enforcement community – federal, state, and local – to work together to protect our children from sexual predators.  No child should ever suffer the horrors and indignities that this defendant inflicted upon the victim in this case.  May this sentence serve as a stark reminder of the severe consequences that may await others inclined to engage in similar conduct.  I am grateful for the excellent work of all those involved in bringing this defendant to justice.”

“Investigating individuals like Brian Normand is one of the highest priorities of the FBI. He violated innocent lives by sexually exploiting children and producing child sexual abuse material.  This sentence is the culmination of an investigation conducted by Special Agents and Intelligence Analysts who worked tirelessly to bring him to justice,” stated Special Agent in Charge Bryan Vorndran.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with substantial assistance provided by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police, Louisiana Attorney General’s Office – Cyber Crime Unit, and the Department of Homeland Security.  It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jamie A. Flowers, Jr., who also serves as Deputy Criminal Chief.