A Mississippi man has been sentenced in New Orleans federal court for attempted receipt of materials involving the sexual exploitation of minors. Avery Freel, 23, from Ocean Springs, Mississippi, received a sentence on August 21, 2025, from U.S. District Judge Eldon E. Fallon after pleading guilty to the charge. The announcement was made by Acting U.S. Attorney Michael M. Simpson.
Court documents show that the investigation began with an online operation conducted by a special agent from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HSI). On July 19, 2023, within the Eastern District of Louisiana, Freel was contacted through an online messaging application by someone who identified as a 14-year-old girl. Freel responded that he was 21 years old and suggested further communication through another app. Over several days, Freel continued communicating with the individual he believed to be a minor and requested sexually explicit images on July 25-26, 2023. He then traveled from Ocean Springs to Hammond, Louisiana on July 27, where HSI agents arrested him.
“This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals 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.”
Freel was sentenced to five years in federal prison followed by eight years of supervised release. He must also pay a $100 mandatory special assessment fee and register as a sex offender under federal law.
The case involved cooperation between multiple agencies including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Hammond Police Department, and Louisiana Bureau of Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. Klebba prosecuted the case.
