×

Laurens man sentenced to 7 years for child pornography

LAURENS — A Laurens man was sentenced to seven years in federal prison Monday for possession of child pornography.

Raymond Painter Jr., 31, was sentenced after entering a guilty plea in August on one count of possession, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice. In the agreement, he admitted to possessing images and videos of the obscene materials between April 2013 and November 2017.

Graphic information presented during the sentencing hearing revealed online conversations in his Google account in which he expressed interest in having sex with girls between age six and 11.

Painter was sentenced to 84 months by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand. He must serve a five-year term of supervised release following his time in prison.

The case was brought about as part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat what the Department of Justice calls a “growing epidemic” of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project, led by U.S. Attorneys’ offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, arrest and prosecute those sexually exploiting children and their victims.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Duax and investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Iowa Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Laurens Police Department and the Pocahontas County Sheriff’s Department.

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today