A Claremore man found with more than 500 images of child sexual abuse material on his electronic devices pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Christian Lee Birse, 24, pleaded guilty to distribution and receipt of child pornography.

In his plea agreement, Birse admitted to distributing and receiving child pornography via social media from Jan. 13, 2021, to Oct. 7, 2021, while connected to his employer’s internet service. Birse admitted to receiving at least 5 videos that involved the sexual abuse or exploitation of a toddler and other prepubescent children.

He further admitted that he possessed and accessed more than 500 images of children being exploited and abused.

The images were discovered on the defendant’s cell phones and computer.

The Roger’s County Sheriff’s Office and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cymetra M. Williams is prosecuting the case.

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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.

Original source can be found here.