A man who worked as an attorney for the governor of Alabama has pleaded guilty to crimes of child pornography on Tuesday, opening him up further towards a maximum sentence of over 20 years in prison.
Chase Tristian Espy, a 36-year-old man, worked for the staff of Gov. Kay Ivey as a deputy general counsel for a few months before he was arrested by officials on charges of child pornography, reportedly engaging in online chats with an officer pretending to be a 15-year-old girl during this time, according to ABC News.
Espy’s phone was later seized and there, authorities found several videos and images that portrayed situations of child abuse and child sexual abuse. Over 69 videos and four images were found in his phone overall, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
“The hard work of the agents involved in this case reflect how local, state, and federal law enforcement are committed to protecting children from predators,” U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona said. “Possessing child pornography is not a ‘victimless’ crime. Each time images of the innocent are shared or viewed, the child is re-victimized.”
Possession of child pornography carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, though it is unclear if Espy will receive the full brunt of the law for this offense. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, however, will be seeking maximum sentence against him.
The FBI helped capture Espy under the Project Safe Childhood of the Department of Justice, which seeks to lessen the harms caused by the growth of child exploitation and child sexual abuse happening in the United States.
“The FBI is committed to protecting our children from sexual abuse and exploitation, and we will continue to work with our partners to bring to justice those who would prey on our most vulnerable,” Special Agent Felix A. Rivera-Esparra said. “I want to thank the members of the FBI Birmingham Child Exploitation & Human Trafficking Task Force and our partners for their outstanding work in this case.”
Espy's sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Jan. 24, 2023.
