Jason Brad Ford Sentenced to 25 Years on Child Pornography Charges
Produced Child Pornography and Induced Minor to Engage in Illegal Sexual Activity

GREENEVILLE, TN—Jason Brad Ford, 30, of Washington County, Tennessee, was sentenced in United States District Court to two concurrent 300-month sentences, to remain on federal supervised release for the remainder of his life, to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life, and to pay $200 in special assessments by the Honorable J. Ronnie Greer, United States District Judge, Greeneville.

The sentence was the result of a guilty plea by Ford to a federal indictment charging him with persuading a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography and using a facility of interstate commerce to persuade a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, as well as two other child pornography charges which were dismissed on the government’s motion.

For ten months in 2007 and 2008, Ford met a 15-year-old out-of-state girl online and directed her to engage in illegal sexual activity, including bestiality, masturbation, and self-mutilation via the Internet from his home in Washington County, Tennessee. Ford videotaped the activity and distributed it in online chatrooms. The investigation began when the girl’s mother reported Ford’s plan to transport the girl to Knoxville. The Washington County Sheriff’s Department and FBI jointly investigated the violation and executed a federal search warrant on Ford’s home in March 2008. Ford has remained in federal custody since March 2008.

Ford’s indictment, guilty plea and sentencing were the results of a joint investigation by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and FBI. AUSA Helen Smith represented the United States.

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 Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.