By Stephen Hemelt
L’Observateur

NEW ORLEANS — A St. John the Baptist Parish man was sentenced to five years in prison for the sexual exploitation of children.

Kirk Weber, 54, of Reserve, was sentenced Wednesday by Chief Judge Sarah Vance and faces 20 years of supervised release following his prison term, U.S. Attorney Kenneth A. Polite said.

Additionally, Weber will be required to register as a sex offender.

Weber had faced a sentence of up to 30 years imprisonment, five years to life of supervised release and a maximum fine of $250,000.

According to court records, from May 14 to Oct. 24, 2013, Weber used a social networking website to distribute images depicting the sexual victimization of minors.

Federal investigators determined Weber used multiple email accounts to receive and download sexually explicit images of minors. He pleaded guilty on June 4 and has been in federal custody since his Feb. 7 arrest.

The U.S. Attorney’s office said Weber would get credit for time served in custody since his arrest.  The decision where to house Weber will be made by the Bureau of Prisons.

Polite said Weber’s case was brought to light as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, visit usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”