Steven Craig Deason Jr., 40, of Gray, Georgia, is going down for preying on kids online. A federal jury in the Middle District of Georgia found him guilty on December 9, 2016, on one count of attempted online enticement of a minor and six counts of attempted transfer of obscene matter to a minor. The verdict came after a week-long trial that exposed the calculated steps Deason took to groom what he believed was a 14-year-old girl.
Using the alias “Cameron,” Deason chatted online between January 6 and February 4, 2016, with someone he thought was a teenage girl named Amber. In reality, Amber was an undercover law enforcement agent. During those conversations, Deason didn’t hesitate. He discussed meeting up for oral sex and intercourse, sent explicit videos and photos, and bragged about selecting material where the men looked older and the girls younger—to mirror his own twisted fantasy.
He didn’t stop at images. Deason gave Amber detailed instructions on how to masturbate, claiming it would “improve” their future sexual encounter. Prosecutors laid out a trail of digital breadcrumbs that painted Deason as a predator who used the anonymity of the internet to target and manipulate minors. The jury didn’t buy his defense. They saw him for what he was: a man actively grooming a child for sexual exploitation.
Convicted on all counts, Deason was immediately taken into custody by U.S. Marshals. He now faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years in federal prison, with the possibility of life behind bars on the enticement charge alone. Each of the six counts of attempting to transfer obscene material carries up to 10 years. On top of that, he’ll be required to register as a sex offender for life—a permanent mark that follows predators like a shadow.
The case was led by the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, with coordination from the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Beth Howard and Michael Solis handled the prosecution. U.S. District Court Judge Marc Thomas Treadwell presided. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled, but the weight of the charges ensures Deason won’t walk free anytime soon.
“The seduction of children is a vile crime and one that is growing in frequency throughout the country and in the Middle District of Georgia,” said U.S. Attorney G.F. “Pete” Peterman, III. “The predators who attempt to defile our youth in this fashion should take note that law enforcement officers and prosecutors are hunting them just as they are hunting their victims.” Anyone with information on similar cases should contact Pamela Lightsey at the U.S. Attorney’s Office at 478-621-2603.
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Key Facts
- State: Georgia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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