A Slidell man has admitted to possessing child sexual abuse materials, as announced by U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans. Christopher Michael Sommers, 42, pled guilty to the charges on Wednesday following an investigation that began with an undercover operation by Arizona’s Apache Junction Police Department. Sommers, who has a previous conviction for a similar crime, could face up to twenty years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both.
During a search of Sommers’s home in Slidell on April 3, 2024, agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), along with local law enforcement, found a thumb drive with 950 images and videos depicting minors in sexually explicit situations. The sentencing in this case is scheduled for December 18, 2024, and Sommers is looking at a mandatory minimum of ten years due to his past conviction in 2011 for a similar offense.
The authorities discovered the thumb drive while executing a federal search warrant, according to court documents released by the U.S. Attorney's Office. The materials on the drive were part of the evidence leading to Sommers's guilty plea before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo. Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child exploitation, is credited with the collaborative effort that brought Sommers to justice.
Sommers now faces not only a lengthy prison term and hefty fines but also supervised release for a period ranging from five years to life after his time behind bars. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba, Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit, is handling Sommers's prosecution. The success of this case is due to the cooperative efforts of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, HSI, the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Apache Junction Police Department, and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation.
