Evans Man Charged with Attempted Online Enticement of a Minor
| U.S. Attorney’s Office June 07, 2011 |
AUGUSTA, GA—ERNEST HARVEY SHEPHERD, 58, of Evans, Georgia, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on the charge of attempted online enticement of a minor.
United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver said, “This defendant has been charged with attempting to entice a girl whom he believed to be 14 years old to engage in illicit sexual conduct. Our children deserve protection from those who prey on them. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to aggressively prosecute individuals involved in the sexual exploitation of children.”
The indictment of SHEPHERD arises out of a joint investigation by the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Columbia County Sheriff’s Office; agencies making up the FBI’s Cyber Crimes Child Exploitation Task Force. The indictment alleges SHEPHERD used a facility of interstate and foreign commerce to knowingly attempt to persuade, induce, entice and coerce a person he believed to be a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity. SHEPHARD was arrested last week on a criminal complaint. By order of U.S. Magistrate Judge G.R. Smith, SHEPHERD is being detained pending the resolution of this case.
Tarver emphasized that an indictment is only an accusation and is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Tarver commented that this case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, which is a nationwide U.S. Department of Justice initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims.
Assistant United States Attorney Nancy Greenwood, Deputy Criminal Chief in the Augusta U.S. Attorney’s Branch Office and Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, is prosecuting the case. For additional information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.