LAFAYETTE, La. – U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller announces that a Lafayette couple have been sentenced to federal prison in a child pornography case.
Brad William Blanchard, 45, was sentenced to 12 years, six months on his conviction for attempted receipt and attempted distribution of child pornography.
U.S. District Judge David C. Joseph also sentenced Blanchard to 20 years of supervised release for these offenses.
Blanchard's girlfriend, Amy Kraft, 49, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release, plus $12,000 in restitution to the victims, for her guilty plea to attempted distribution of child pornography.
According to information presented in court, law enforcement agents began communicating with an individual, later identified as Blanchard, on an internet-based fetish forum wherein Blanchard expressed his sexual interest in underage children. Blanchard sent an undercover agent images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) which depicted a minor victim. Following this exchange, agents were able to obtain and execute search and arrest warrants for Blanchard’s person, residence, and electronic devices. At the time the warrants were executed, Blanchard admitted to law enforcement that he had sent the CSAM images and that his girlfriend, Amy Kraft, had assisted in sending him CSAM for his sexual gratification. Kraft was subsequently arrested and admitted her involvement in sending the CSAM images to Blanchard to fulfill his sexual fantasies and gratification.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Danny Siefker is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals 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 .
To report suspected human trafficking or to obtain resources for victims, please call 1-888-373-7888; text “BeFree” (233733), or live chat at HumanTraffickingHotline.org. The toll-free phone, SMS text lines, and online chat function are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Help is available in English, Spanish, Creole, or in more than 200 additional languages. The National Hotline is not managed by law enforcement, immigration, or an investigative agency. Correspondence with the National Hotline is confidential, and you may request assistance or report a tip anonymously.
To report online child sexual exploitation, use the electronic Cyber Tip Line or call 1-800-843-5678. The Cyber Tip Line is operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in partnership with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies.
