A Hammond man has pleaded guilty to charges related to the receipt of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors. U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Joseph Authement, 25, entered his plea on December 18, 2025. The charges fall under Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2252(a)(2) and (b)(1). Authement could face a minimum sentence of five years and up to twenty years in prison. He may also be fined up to $250,000 or an amount equating to twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Following his release from prison, he will face a supervised release period ranging from five years to life and must pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee.
Court documents reveal that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) obtained a federal search warrant for Authement's Apple iPhone on March 11, 2024. The following day, HSI agents located him at his residence in Hammond, Louisiana. Upon seizing his phone, agents discovered images and videos depicting child sexual exploitation. It was later determined that Authement used Telegram to download and purchase such materials.
Sentencing is set for March 19, 2025, before United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. The project involves collaboration between U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), along with federal, state, and local resources to locate offenders and rescue victims.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office acknowledged assistance from several agencies including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Homeland Security Investigations and the Rio Grande Valley Child Exploitation Investigations Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba is handling prosecution duties as Chief of the Financial Crimes Unit.