30-Year-Old Louisiana Man Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation and Faces up to 20 Years After a Joint Investigation by Multiple Agencies

New Orleans, Louisiana – A Louisiana man has been charged with and pleaded guilty to child exploitation after a joint investigation by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He now faces up to 20 years and a $250,000 fine.

On Wednesday, February 8, 2023, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Chris Bao Nguyen (“Nguyen”), age 30, of Marrero, Louisiana, pled guilty on February 7, 2023, to receipt of child pornography in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(2) and (b)(1).

According to documents filed in federal court, the case against Nguyen began with a CyberTip report to the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation (“LBI”) from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (“NEMEC”). Special agents from Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation (“LBI”) executed a federal search warrant at Nguyen’s home in Marrero. According to HSI’s investigation, Nguyen received images and videos depicting minors’ sexual exploitation.

Nguyen faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of twenty years in prison, as well as a fine of up to $250,000.00, or the greater of twice the defendant’s gross gain or twice the offense’s gross loss to any person under Title 18, United States Code, Section 3571. Nguyen also faces a supervised release term of at least five years and up to life after his release from prison, as well as a mandatory $100 special assessment fee.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood, led by US Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children through the internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. To learn more about Project Safe Childhood, go to www.justice.gov/psc.

U.S. Attorney Evans praised the investigative efforts of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.