HSI Agents Uncover 11,000 Pornographic Images of Children; Offender Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison

After pleading guilty to distribution of child pornography, James Catoe, age 48, was sentenced to 210 months in prison followed by life on supervised release. Catoe must register with Tennessee's sex offender registry and comply with special sex offender requirements.

More than 11,000 images of child pornography were found on Catoe's computer and cellphone during a search warrant; images of a toddler being sexually assaulted were found among his collection.

While being questioned, Catoe confessed to possessing and viewing child pornography, selling child pornography to hundreds of individuals over the course of a year, and sharing intimate photos with a 14-year-old female at least 50 times.

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and local law enforcement began investigating in late 2019 following information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) regarding the download of child pornographic images and videos at Catoe’s home.

The Department of Justice's (DOJ) Project Safe Childhood (PSC) filed the case in federal court. PSC was launched in May 2006 to address the alarming prevalence of child sexual exploitation and abuse, and harnesses federal, state, and local resources to identify, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and aid victims.

DOJ expanded PSC in May 2011 to encompass all federal crimes involving sexual exploitation of a minor, including sex trafficking of a minor and crimes against children committed on native reservations, and offenses for failing to register as a sex offender.