U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that Joy Joseph Banerjee, a 57-year-old resident of New Orleans, has been sentenced to five years in prison for possessing child sexual abuse material. The sentencing took place on January 28, 2025.
The case originated from an investigation by the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office into online child sexual abuse material. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) took over the investigation and executed a federal search warrant at Banerjee's residence in April 2023. HSI determined that Banerjee knowingly possessed images and videos depicting the exploitation of prepubescent minors.
United States District Judge Susie Morgan imposed a sentence of sixty months imprisonment on Banerjee, along with eight years of supervised release and a $5,100 special assessment fee.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project aims to marshal federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals exploiting children via the Internet while also identifying and rescuing victims.
U.S. Attorney Evans commended the efforts of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations; the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s Office; and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation for their roles in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba is handling the prosecution as Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and Chief of Financial Crimes Unit.