Georgia men sentenced to prison for attempting to leave country with child porn

CANTON, Ga. - A Georgia man has been sentenced to prison after officials say he was caught trying to leave the country with a cell phone and tablet filled with more than 100 files of child pornography.

According to officials, the investigation began in January of 2020, when special agents with Homeland Security received a tip that 40-year-old Canton resident Nathaniel Barber could have been planning to leave the U.S. to commit sex crimes with underage victims.

Agents discovered Barber had bought a ticket to the Philipines and stopped him at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport on Jan. 28 as he was preparing the board his plane.

While Barber denied the allegations that he was traveling to commit the alleged acts, he told agents that he did has child pornography on his cell phone and tablet.

After a search, officials say they discovered seven videos and 133 images of child pornography. Many of the materials showed girls under the age of 10 years old being abused, officials said.

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"Every video and image of child pornography is a crime scene depicting the sexual abuse of a child," said Acting U.S. Attorney Kurt R. Erskine. "This case reaffirms our office’s determination to leverage our federal, state, and local law enforcement partnerships to prosecute individuals who revictimize exploited children by downloading and viewing these horrific images."

Further investigation revealed that Barber was part of an online group where members shared child pornography.

"Stopping predators from spreading this filth, that victimizes innocent children every time it is shared, is one of the most important actions we do," said Special Agent in Charge Katrina W. Berger, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. "Luckily, he was not able to complete his trip and others engaged in this depravity should be on the lookout because we won’t stop searching for them."

Barber pleaded guilty and was convicted of attempted international transport of child pornography in November of 2020.

A judge sentenced the Canton man to five years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release and a fine of $5,100.

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