Woman Arrested for Distribution and Production of Child Pornography

CHEYENNE, WY—On Wednesday, January 26, 2012, Jessica Shockley, age 23, of Virginia, was arrested by ICE agents on federal charges relating to the distribution and production of child pornography. Shockley’s arrest is the culmination of an investigative effort that involved agents from the Wyoming Department of Probation and Parole, Rock Springs Police Department detectives, special agents with ICE and the FBI, and Virginia authorities. The federal complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for Wyoming, generally alleges that Shockley engaged in sexual activity with a 3-month-old child, took photographs of the sexual activity, and sent the images to an individual in Rock Springs, Wyoming. If found guilty of production of child pornography, Shockley could be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not less than 15 or more than 30 years. The distribution of child pornography charge carries a penalty of not less than five or more than 20 years’ imprisonment. A complaint is only an accusation. In every criminal case, the accused is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty, and the government always has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

The alleged recipient of the images produced by Shockley, James Hawkins, age 49, of Rock Springs, Wyoming, recently plead guilty to the charge of receiving child pornography in the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming. Because Hawkins is a prior convicted sex offender he is facing a penalty of not less than 15 or more than 40 years’ imprisonment as the result of his guilty plea.