Jonathan Scott Lee Sentenced to 25 Years for Production of Child Po…

KELSO, WA – Jonathan Scott Lee, 38, of Kelso, Washington, will spend the next 25 years behind bars after being sentenced for a sickening litany of crimes: production of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and distribution of child pornography. The sentence was handed down today by U.S. District Judge Ronald B. Leighton, who didn’t mince words about the depravity of Lee’s actions.

The case began to unravel in October 2012 when Lee, believing he was communicating with a fellow predator, attempted to solicit additional images of child pornography from an undercover officer operating in New Zealand. This digital breadcrumb trail led investigators directly to Lee. A search of his Kelso home revealed a horrifying cache of abuse – thousands of images and videos stored on his computer, an external hard drive, and even his smartphone.

Lee pleaded guilty in September 2013 to taking sexually explicit images of an 11-year-old girl, a confession that barely scratches the surface of his depravity. Court records reveal investigators identified three young victims directly involved in Lee’s production of the illicit material, and many more were victims already cataloged by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). This wasn’t a passive collection; Lee actively created and disseminated this abuse.

“The production of child pornography is a despicable activity. Exploiting children is the lowest form of cruelty I can imagine,” Judge Leighton stated during the sentencing hearing. U.S. Attorney Jenny A. Durkan echoed those sentiments, adding, “The production of child pornography—coupled with the physical sexual abuse of children—is a heinous crime with devastating, lifelong impacts on its victims. Distributing the photos of these children being molested further victimizes them and warrants this significant prison sentence.”

Brad Bench, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Seattle, highlighted the global reach of this crime. “Not only did the defendant abuse children, he shared his exploitation with predators around the world,” Bench said. “HSI places a high priority on combating this despicable crime, not only to identify and rescue child victims, but to stop their re-victimization by individuals who view and distribute Internet child pornography.”

Lee will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release, and will remain under supervised release for the rest of his life. The investigation was a collaborative effort between HSI, the Kelso Police Department, and Assistant United States Attorney Marci Ellsworth, who prosecuted the case. This sentence, while substantial, offers little solace to the victims whose lives have been irrevocably scarred by Lee’s monstrous acts.