Federal prosecutors in Charlotte and across the country are getting more resources to go after sexual predators who exploit children.
Deputy Attorney General Mark Filip announced in Charlotte Wednesday that the U.S. Justice Department has set aside $5 million to hire 43 prosecutors to combat the abuse and exploitation of children through the Internet -- both in cases of online enticement and child pornography.
One of those prosecutors will be assigned to Charlotte and the Western District of North Carolina.
Filip told reporters at a news conference that explicit images of children on the Internet are increasing.
"We're not talking about innocent family snapshots," he said. "We're talking about the most horrific crimes imaginable, like videos depicting the graphic sexual assault of children, and even infants, traded around the world like baseball cards."
On Thursday, the Justice Department disclosed the 43 districts across the country that will be assigned the new prosecutors. Greensboro and the Middle District of North Carolina and Raleigh and the Eastern District of North Carolina were not among them. Neither was the District of South Carolina.
The hiring of the 43 prosecutors will help bolster the Justice Department's "Project Safe Childhood" to deal with the proliferation of online sexual predators of children. Federal, state and local law enforcement authorities work together in the project.
Federal authorities say there have been more prosecutions of sexual predators nationwide since the project was launched in 2006.
Last fiscal year, 2,118 indictments were handed down against 2,218 defendants -- an increase of more than 25 percent over the previous year.
During a six-month period last year in Charlotte and the Western District of North Carolina, 11 indictments were filed involving child sexual exploitation.
Five defendants were sentenced to prison during that time.
A husband and wife were sentenced to 30 years and 20 years, respectively, for producing child pornography. Another defendant was imprisoned for 15 years. The two others received sentences between six and seven years.
Filip told reporters that the sexual exploitation of children will continue to be a priority for the Justice Department.
"We want these people to know that we are going after them and that they will pay a high price for their crimes," he said.
