Former Walton Co. Probate Judge Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison For Attempted Online Enticement Of A Minor

ATHENS, Ga. – A former Associate Probate Judge and Family Law attorney in Walton County, Georgia was sentenced to prison for attempted online enticement of a minor, announced Charles “Charlie” Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia. George Randolph “Randy” Jeffery, 59, of Monroe, Georgia was sentenced to 180 months in prison and ten years supervised release today by U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal after pleading guilty on September 10, 2019 to one count attempted online enticement of a minor. Defendant Jeffery will have to register as a sex offender, and comply with all sex offender requirements, when he is released from prison. There is no parole in the federal system.  

In October 2018, the FBI was notified of a cyber-tip from the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation (LBI) involving a possible juvenile female engaging in an online sexual relationship with an adult male based in Monroe, Georgia. Investigators discovered Jeffery communicated with an individual from February 2018 to August 2018 that he believed to be a 14-year-old girl, discussing various sexual acts in detail, her molestation by her father, as well as exchanging several nude photographs of the minor, plus an additional seven photos of others who appeared to be minors. Jeffery, who worked as an attorney practicing in the areas of child support, adoption and family law, sometimes communicated with the victim from the child support office located behind DFACS in Covington, Georgia and while he was at church. In actuality, Jeffery was unknowingly communicating with the girl’s father, who was contemporaneously molesting his daughter and posing as her online, sending pornographic images of her to Jeffery. A search warrant executed at Jeffery’s home recovered multiple electronic devices with numerous images and videos of child pornography, including prepubescent minors and items portraying the sexual abuse of an infant or toddler.

“I believe this multi-agency investigation ultimately stopped a deviant criminal, posing as a law-abiding Judge, from doing additional irreparable damage to innocent children,” said U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler. “Defendant Jeffery, who once swore to uphold the law, will experience the full weight of justice for his unconscionable crimes. I want to thank the GBI, LBI and the FBI for their excellent investigative work and partnership.”

“This case is particularly disturbing because it is an example that child predators come from all walks of life, even from a position in our justice system,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Now, instead of sitting behind a bench judging right from wrong, Jeffery will be sitting on the other side of the bench in a prison cell paying for what he did wrong.”

“One of the worst types of offenders we come in contact with are those that hold a position of trust in our community. This case proves once again there is no demographic for people who hurt children. When someone with whom we have placed our trust violates that trust in this manner, a child and a community are damaged,” said Vic Reynolds, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations (GBI). “The GBI and the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force will continue to work diligently to ensure all people who seek to harm our children and our communities are found and stopped.”

The case was investigated by the GBI, LBI and FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lyndie Freeman prosecuted the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Director (Contractor), United States Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.