Charles Dirk Lafleur, 56, of Ville Platte, was sentenced to 78 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography

LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) -- A Ville Platte man will spend the next few years in prison after being sentenced in Lafayette on Thursday, authorities said.

Charles Dirk Lafleur, 56, of Ville Platte, was sentenced to 78 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, for possession of child pornography by United States District Judge Robert R. Summerhays.

The charges in this case stem from an investigation by an agent with the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit after a Cyber Tip Line Report was received from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, authorities said. The report identified the upload of an image containing child pornography to a Microsoft OneDrive account and identified the unique user information associated with that account. Their investigation revealed that the image did in fact contain child pornography and a search warrant was obtained for the Microsoft OneDrive account. The search warrant identified the account user as Lafleur.

Another search warrant was obtained for Lafleur’s residence and was executed by law enforcement agents on Nov. 7, 2018. Agents recovered eight of Lafleur’s electronic devices, which were analyzed and found to contain images and videos depicting child pornography, including depictions of pornography involving prepubescent minors under 12 years of age. Lafleur was charged and pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography on Oct. 12, 2022.

The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation Cyber Crimes Unit and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig R. Bordelon.