Columbia Man Sentenced to 22 Years for Child Exploitation

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Timothy A. Garrison, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Columbia, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today on charges related to child pornography and the sexual exploitation of a minor.

Jayme Nathaniel Walker, 43, of Columbia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to 22 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Walker to a term of supervised release for 25 years following incarceration.

On March 22, 2017, Walker was found guilty of producing child pornography, receiving child pornography and transferring obscene materials to a minor.

Evidence introduced during the trial indicated that Walker communicated with a 14-to-15-year-old victim in Illinois, texting and exchanging pornographic photos and videos. The investigation began on June 13, 2014, when the child victim’s parents contacted Illinois State Police officers. The parents turned over a laptop computer, two cell phones and an iPod to investigators.

The child victim gave information to the investigators regarding his online relationship with Walker. He stated that he never met Walker in person, although they talked about meeting several times. He stated that he told Walker his true age. They had numerous conversations, including sexual conversations, and exchanged sexually explicit photos and videos.

Investigators discovered 77 images and six videos exchanged between Walker and the child victim, although not all of the images depicted child pornography.

According to court documents, investigators also found evidence on Walker’s cell phone that he had a pattern of seeking out minor children through the internet in order to engage in sexual activity. Walker used the Kik app to communicate with a 17-year-old victim and exchange sexually explicit photographs. This victim told investigators that he and Walker met in Columbia and engaged in sex, which is corroborated by the chats. A 13-year-old victim told agents he recalled chatting with Walker, who attempted to arrange a sexual rendezvous with him.

Today’s sentence includes an adjustment for obstruction of justice. The court found that Walker perjured himself by fabricating information while testifying under oath at trial in two instances. The government dismissed a fourth count from the indictment (possession of child pornography) prior to the jury’s deliberations because it could not refute Walker’s testimony. However, following the trial, an FBI agent investigated Walker’s claims and found evidence that Walker’s testimony was false.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashley Turner and Jim Lynn. It was investigated by the FBI, the Boone County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department and the Illinois State Police.

Project Safe Childhood

This case was brought as 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 the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc . For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."