WASHINGTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), published as received.

WASHINGTON – Joseph Gallina, 34, of New Orleans, Louisiana, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 120 months in federal prison for instructing a minor child to produce sexually explicit videos and photos of herself that he in turn posted on a fetish website, announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.   

“The conduct in this case is deeply disturbing. Joseph Gallina groomed a child, coerced her into creating sexually explicit material, and then sought to facilitate her sexual exploitation by adult men,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “Anyone who preys on children, whether in person or online, will be relentlessly pursued and held accountable. If you exploit a child, expect the same outcome as this defendant: a federal prison sentence.” 

Gallina pleaded guilty on April 30 before Chief Judge James E. Boasberg to one count of coercion and enticement of a minor. In addition to the 120-month prison term, Chief Judge Boasberg ordered Gallina to serve 5 years of supervised release and to register as a sex offender.  

According to court documents, in July 2024 Gallina communicated with a minor child using text messages and several different mobile applications.   

During these conversations, Gallina instructed the minor child to produce sexually explicit videos and photos of herself. The minor child produced those images and sent them to Gallina.   

Gallina discussed meeting the minor child in person and told her that her family could not know about their relationship. Gallina told the minor child, “[b]eing a minor, I could get into a lot of trouble for doing that. You would have to stop contact with ypur (sic) family.”   

Gallina then posted a solicitation on a fetish website which included sexually explicit images of the minor child and sought to arrange sexual encounters between the minor child and adult men in the D.C. area. Several men responded to Gallina’s post and one of the men met the minor child in the District of Columbia and had sex with her.   

Gallina told the minor child that he wanted to see a video of her sexual encounter with the adult man and gave her specific instructions for what he wanted her to say and do during the sexual encounter. When the minor child was not able to record her sexual encounter with the stranger, Gallina told her that he was “disappointed.”   

Joining U.S. Attorney Pirro in the announcement was FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office.   

This case was investigated by FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karen Shinskie.  

This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.   

Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.  

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