Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to 10 Years for Possession of Child Pornography

Terrence Berg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, announced that Jason Matthew Ross, 31, of Plymouth, Michigan, was sentenced today to 10 years in federal prison by the Honorable Victoria A. Roberts, following his August 2009 guilty plea to charges of possession of child pornography. Mr. Berg was joined in the announcement by Andrew G. Arena, Special Agent In Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to court records, the criminal charges against defendant Ross arose when he made images of child pornography available over the Internet through his file sharing account, and several of them were then downloaded by an undercover FBI agent. Following execution of a federal search warrant on his residence, his computer hard drive was subjected to forensic analysis, which revealed images and videos depicting minors engaged in sex acts, including penetration of children under the age of 5. At the time of the offense, Ross was a registered sex offender due to his 2004 conviction for possession of child sex abusive material. Ross, the father of two young boys, is currently in custody.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Assistant United States Attorney Erin Shaw prosecuted the case for the United States.