Home Birmingham Press Releases 2009 Madison County Man Pleads Guilty to Multiple Counts of Interstate Travel to Have Sex with Minors
Info
This is archived material from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) website. It may contain outdated information and links may no longer function.

Madison County Man Pleads Guilty to Multiple Counts of Interstate Travel to Have Sex with Minors

U.S. Attorney’s Office January 29, 2009
  • Northern District of Alabama (205) 244-2001

BIRMINGHAM, AL—JOHN LAWSON SIMONS, 35, of Huntsville, Alabama, plead guilty in U.S. District Court in Huntsville to twenty-two counts of charges involving the sexual exploitation of children. Those charges include one count of Possession of Child Pornography, two counts of Production of Child Pornography, one count of Transporting Child Pornography, two counts of Transferring Obscene Matter to a Minor, fourteen counts of Interstate Travel with the Intent to Engage in a Sex Act with a Minor, one count of Transporting a Minor Interstate for Sexual Purposes, and one count of Coercing and Enticing a Minor to Travel for Unlawful Sexual Activity. United States Attorney Alice H. Martin along with Carmen S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, announce the plea.

The sentence for Possession of Child Pornography is up to ten years; the sentence for Production of Child Pornography is no less than fifteen years and up to thirty years; the sentence for Transporting Child Pornography is no less than five years and up to twenty years; the sentence for Transferring Obscene Matter to a Minor is up to ten years; the sentence for Interstate Travel with the Intent to Engage in a Sex Act with a Minor is up to thirty years, depending on when the act occurred; the sentence for Transporting a Minor Interstate for Sexual Purposes is no less than ten years and up to life; and the sentence for Coercing and Enticing a Minor to Travel for Unlawful Sexual Activity is no less than five years and up to thirty years. Any or all of these sentences could be ordered to run consecutively to each other. All counts carry a fine of up to $250,000.

“Prolific child predators, especially those willing to travel to meet and have sex with children, are among the most despicable of criminals,” stated United States Attorney Alice H. Martin. “I have established in this district a task force of attorneys dedicated to prosecuting these cases, and they have been very successful in obtaining sentences to ensure that these predators can never hurt children again.”

“Parents and guardians are reminded that Internet predators are out there ready to do our children harm,” stated Carmen S. Adams, Special Agent in Charge Federal Bureau of Investigation, Birmingham Field Division. “All parents need to be vigilant in supervising their children’s Internet use, and all children need to be aware that an apparent Internet friend may turn out to be just the opposite in real life.”

Special Agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated this matter. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mary Stuart Burrell on behalf of the United States.

This content has been reproduced from its original source.