South Dakota Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Distribution

South Dakota Man Sentenced for Child Pornography Distribution

BUFFALO, N.Y. – A South Dakota man has been sentenced to 144 months in prison for distributing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr.

Jesse Adams, 27, of Rapid City, South Dakota, was convicted of distributing child pornography after a lengthy investigation by law enforcement.

The investigation, led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, began when an undercover agent in Utah received emails and images depicting child pornography from Adams, who was a student at a local college.

On April 12, 2013, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at Adams’ dormitory residence and seized a laptop computer, thumb drive, and a cellular telephone. A forensic examination revealed one video and nearly 90 images of child pornography, including some that depicted children under 12 years old.

Adams used a website called vampirefreaks.com to communicate with four minor females, who sent him naked photos of themselves at his request. He also sent naked photos of himself to some of the minor females.

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 U.S. government. 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.

Adams’ sentence is a result of the tireless efforts of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors who work tirelessly to protect our communities from predators like Adams. His prison sentence serves as a reminder that those who exploit children will be held accountable for their crimes.

The case is the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, under the direction of James C. Spero, Special Agent-In-Charge.

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