OKC Standard

OKLAHOMA CITY – Charles Raymond French, Jr., 38, of Lawton, was sentenced to serve 360 months in federal prison for production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester.

On October 3, 2023, a federal grand jury returned a two-count indictment against French, charging him with production of child pornography and possession of child pornography. According to an affidavit filed in support of the previously filed criminal complaint, on September 6, 2023, an FBI Online Covert Employee (OCE) connected with French on a social media messaging app. During the conversation, French expressed interest in material depicting the sexual abuse of children and shared several photographs and videos of child pornography with the OCE. These included two photographs French claimed to have taken himself involving three-year-old and ten-year-old victims. Authorities linked the account to French, leading to his arrest at his Lawton home on September 7, 2023.

On December 1, 2023, French pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the indictment and admitted to producing child pornography.

At the sentencing hearing yesterday, U.S District Judge Jodi W. Dishman sentenced French to serve 360 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. In announcing the sentence, the Court noted the “depravity” of the crime and emphasized that it needed to reflect the extreme nature and seriousness of the defendant’s conduct due to the threat posed by him to community safety. The Court also aimed to send a message that such crimes will be punished severely.

This case resulted from an investigation by the Lawton Division of the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Joynes prosecuted it.

The case is part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice (DOJ) aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and DOJ Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, PSC marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals exploiting children via the Internet while identifying and rescuing victims.

Reference is made to public filings for additional information.