Neosho businessman wants more time to prepare for sentencing on child porn charges

It is only 16 days until Neosho businessman Blake Altman is sentenced for receiving and distributing child pornography, but his lawyer is asking for another 45 to 60 days to prepare for the sentencing hearing.

In a motion filed Monday in U. S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, Springfield attorney Dee Wampler said he was continuing to "accumulate documents" for the hearing, adding, "It is possible that counsel will call experts at sentencing."

Scheduling those experts could take the 45 to 60 days, Wampler said.

Altman pleaded guilty Jan. 4 in federal court in Springfield, admitting that he received and distributed child pornography between August 14, 2014, and October 1, 2014.

From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri's news release:

Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Altman’s residence after he was identified in an undercover investigation into the distribution of child pornography via peer-to-peer file-sharing software. Undercover officers downloaded images and videos of child pornography from Altman’s computer. Officers seized Altman’s laptop computer, which contained images and videos of child pornography.

Under federal statutes, Altman is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 20 years in federal prison without parole.