Maryland Man Sentenced to 17 Years in Prison for Internet Enticement of Minor

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that a 27-year-old Towson, Maryland resident was sentenced yesterday to serve 17 years in prison by Senior U.S. District Court Judge A. Richard Caputo for using the Internet to attempt to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual conduct.

According to United States Attorney Peter J. Smith, Jeremy Kelley committed the offense during February to May 2008. Kelley pleaded guilty to the crime on July 27, 2010.

Kelley’s arrest stemmed from an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Scranton Police.

Judge Caputo also ordered that Kelley serve a life term of supervised release following his prison sentence, and pay a $100 special assessment.

U.S. Attorney Smith noted that 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.

U.S. Attorney Smith noted that the case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis P. Sempa.