Knoxville man, Casey Patrick Henrietta, 27, has received a 24-year prison sentence for his crimes involving an attempted production of child pornography, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee. Yesterday, United States District Judge Katherine A. Crytzer delivered the verdict in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee at Knoxville, condemning Henrietta to 292 months behind bars followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Additionally, he will be required to register as a sex offender and fulfill special conditions during his post-imprisonment supervision.
Following a plea deal wherein Henrietta pled guilty to one count of attempted production of child pornography under 18 U.S.C. § 2251 (a) and (e), the sentencing was finalized. The plea agreement helped establish Henrietta's admission to his attempts at exploiting an underaged minor online. During the investigation, it was unearthed that Henrietta's criminal actions began when the child was only nine and continued for four years, until the mother of the child discovered the illicit exchanges, according to court documents released by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The case unraveled after the Knoxville Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force of Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) was notified by the New Castle County Police Department in Delaware. Investigators found that Henrietta first made contact with the child through a game on the PlayStation Network, later shifting their communications to social networking applications where he persisted in inciting the minor to participate in illegal sexual conduct for the purpose of producing imagery.
The case was prosecuted as a part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative since May 2006 aimed at tackling the increasing menace of child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton, III and HSI Special Agent in Charge Rena Saoud announced the sentencing. Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Kolman represented the United States in this prosecution. Concerned parties and individuals seeking further information about PSC's efforts to shield minors from exploitation can find it at their official website.
