Chad Allen Martin, 25, of Columbia, Tennessee, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Court Judge Aleta A. Trauger to serve 20 years in prison, followed by 20 additional years of supervised release, for possession and distribution of child pornography, announced David Rivera, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. Martin pleaded guilty on April 7, 2016.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will always be a staunch advocate for innocent children who are victimized by sexual predators,” said U.S. Attorney David Rivera. “We will pursue these predators, prosecute them vigorously and seek their confinement for as long as the law allows.”
According to testimony at the plea hearing, in 2011 Martin was convicted in state court of attempted rape of a child, and served a three- year prison sentence. While on parole for that offense in March 2015, Martin was identified, during an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, as being in possession of and distributing hundreds of computer files depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct which were being shared from his laptop computer.
On March 20, 2015, a federal search warrant was executed at Martin’s residence in Columbia, Tennessee, where FBI Agents and Columbia Police Department officers found more than 1,000 images and 173 videos of prepubescent minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct on Martin’s laptop computer and an external hard drive. The images and videos seized included depictions of bestiality, bondage, and rape.
The case was investigated by the Winchester, Tennessee Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Columbia, Tenn. Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lee Deneke.