Joshua Lynn Cook
The Court further ordered Cook to pay $17,000 in special assessments pursuant to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018. Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Charlotte Division, joined Acting U.S. Attorney Cameron in making Tuesday’s announcement.
According to court documents, Cook was on federal supervised release for a 2016 federal convictionfor transportation, receipt, and possession of CSAM. Under the terms of Cook’s federal supervision, he was not permitted to own an electronic device capable of accessing the internet, including a cell phone. Cook was also subject to periodic home inspections by the U.S. Probation Office (USPO) to ensure compliance with his probationary terms.
Court records show that, on February 8, 2024, during a home inspection, USPO found Cook in possession of an unauthorized phone in his bedroom. Cook admitted to using the phone to access CSAM around the time that he first gained access to the phone, which was within one month of his release from prison. The phone and an SD card were seized and forensically examined by the FBI. The examination revealed that these devices contained images and videos depicting CSAM, including toddlers.
On October 9, 2024, Cook pleaded guilty to possession and access with intent to view child pornography involving prepubescent minors. On Tuesday, the Court sentenced Cook to 151 months of incarceration for possession and access with intent to view CSAM, and 18 months, to run consecutive, for committing this offense while on federal supervised release, for a total of 169 months of incarceration.
Cook was to remain in federal custody until he is transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. As of earlier today (February 26) he was being held in the Catawba County Detention Facility. The FBI with the assistance of the USPO investigated the case.