A Carriere man who has pleaded guilty to photographing an underage girl in a pornographic manner using snakes will not be required to relinquish the snakes.

According to court documents filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi Southern Division, 47 year-old John Joseph Maillet pleaded guilty to the charge of enticing a minor to pose in sexually explicit manner between the dates of Oct. 1 and Oct. 31 2007. The described pictures included snakes of an unlisted origin.

The court documents filed in August of 2010 originally stated he must forfeit 41 venomous snakes, two computers and an internal harddrive along with his cell phone. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Sul Ozerden approved an order by signature excluding the snakes from the forfeiture.

Maillet has also been charged with possessing firearms after being convicted of a felony; the guns must also be turned over to the state, the documents state. Court records state he faces up to 15 years for the charge of enticing a minor into the production of the sexually explicit images and up to 10 years for the firearms possession post felony conviction.

Sentencing is set for Dec. 8.