By Monique Roth

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – A St. Charles Parish man was sentenced this week to 15 years in prison for both producing and distributing child pornography.

Chad Michael Hotard, a 28-year-old resident of Luling, was sentenced on April 23 by U.S. District Court Judge H. Ginger Berrigan, arising from his conviction for two counts of production and one count of distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Allen Polite Jr.

According to court documents, Hotard knowingly employed, used, persuaded, in  duced, enticed and coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce

child pornography on two separate occasions, Dec. 13, 2012, and March 12, 2013. In addition, court documents cited that Hotard distributed digital images and computer images of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct on March 13, 2013.

Hotard, who has been in federal custody since his arrest on April 15, 2013, was sentenced by Judge Berrigan to 15 years imprisonment, to be followed by a term of supervised release of 15 years.

In addition, he will be required to register as a sex offender pursuant to the Sex Offender Registration and Noti fication Act.

This case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.

Hotard’s case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland

Security Investiga tions and the St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office. Fraud Unit Chief and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba handled the prosecution of the case.