Anchorage Motivational Speaker Indicted on Federal Child Pornography Charges

Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Bryan Schroder announced today that Donteh Mone Devoe, 41, of Anchorage, has been federally charged with two counts of production of child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of coercion and enticement of a minor.  Devoe was arrested in February 2020, and was ordered detained pending trial. 

According to court documents, Devoe became the subject of an investigation on Jan. 29, 2020, when Anchorage Police Department (APD) received a tip concerning allegations that Devoe had engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor.  The complaint alleges that, between Sept. 30, 2019, and Oct. 1, 2019, Devoe used text messages to request sexually explicit images of the minor.  It is further alleged that the minor would receive sexually explicit images of Devoe while she was in school, and that there were at least two incidents where Devoe and the minor had sexual contact.  A search of Devoe’s cell phone and iCloud account revealed the graphic communications, as well as several sexually explicit images of the minor. 

After serving his sentence for a federal drug conviction, Devoe traveled throughout Alaska giving motivational speeches about rehabilitation and reentry, oftentimes coming into contact with students from the Anchorage School District.

If the public has any further information regarding Devoe’s activities, please contact FBI’s Anchorage Field Office at (907) 276-4441.
 

If convicted, Devoe faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years up to life in federal prison, for the most serious charges alleged.  Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense and the prior criminal history of the defendant.

The Anchorage Police Department (APD), as well as FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, conducted the investigation leading to the charges in this case.  This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Ivers of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Alaska.

The investigation is also part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, Project Safe Childhood combines 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.justice.gov/psc.

The charges in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.