LAFAYETTE, La. – Acting United States Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announced that Spencer Matthew Legendre, 23, of New Iberia, Louisiana, has been sentenced by United States District Judge Michael J. Juneau to 72 months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, on distribution of child pornography charges. Legendre was also ordered to pay $15,000 in restitution.

According to information presented in court, an undercover agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) engaged in an undercover chat on a Kik group referring to young girls. The undercover agent observed username “legend_re” which was later identified to be the defendant, Spencer Matthew Legendre, post prepubescent child pornography images from the Kik account over the internet.

A search warrant was executed on February 27, 2020 at Legendre’s residence and he was questioned by law enforcement officers. Legendre confessed to downloading child pornography and admitted that he had distributed child pornography using his Kik account. In addition, law enforcement agents seized Legendre’s cell phone and found numerous images of prepubescent child pornography located on the phone. A forensic examination of the phone revealed that Legendre had distributed child pornography on February 18, 2020.

The FBI investigated the case and Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Luke Walker prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood combines federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.