Gatlinburg man, Johnny Ray Sammons, 33, will spend 393 months behind bars for his heinous crimes involving the production and distribution of child pornography. On September 21, 2015, Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas A. Varlan handed down the sentence, a punishment fitting of the severity of Sammons’ actions.
According to the investigation, Sammons used two minor females to create pornographic videos and pictures, which he then distributed to others via the Internet. The undercover investigators with the Knoxville Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (KPD-ICAC) and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) discovered that Sammons was circulating child pornography from a publicly open wireless router to undercover investigators in Queensland, Australia.
Through an undercover persona, KPD-ICAC investigators were able to contact Sammons and gather more information about the source of the child pornography. A subsequent undercover surveillance in the area of the public wireless router led investigators to spot the victims at a local fast food restaurant. Sammons was subsequently identified as the person responsible for producing and distributing the child pornography and was arrested.
This investigation was a collaborative effort between KPD-ICAC, HSI, and the Gatlinburg Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Morris represented the United States in the case.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
Under the terms of his sentence, Sammons will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for a term of 25 years after his release from prison. He will also be required to register with the sex offender registry in any state in which he resides, works, or attends school.
The people of this community can rest a little easier knowing that this predator is behind bars. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families, who have endured unimaginable trauma. As a society, we must remain vigilant in our efforts to combat child exploitation and abuse.
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Key Facts
- State: Tennessee
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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