Athens Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography

COLUMBUS—Jason L. Hutchinson, 41, of Athens, Ohio pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court to one count of using a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Edward J. Hanko, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), announced the plea entered today before U.S. District Judge Algenon L. Marbley.

According to a statement presented in court by the FBI, Hutchinson used a webcam in his residence in November 2010 to create a video of himself engaged in various sex acts with a 13-year-old. Hutchinson sent that video and another similar video to an individual in the greater Boston, Massachusetts area.

Law enforcement officers in the Boston area discovered the video and alerted law enforcement officials in Ohio who executed a search warrant in March 2012.

Hutchinson was arrested on March 16, 2012, and has been in custody since his arrest.

The plea agreement includes a prison term of between 20 and 25 years. The court will review the plea agreement and consider federal sentencing guidelines before deciding whether or not to accept terms of the plea agreement.

Stewart commended the investigation by the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Hill, who is prosecuting the case.