KNOXVILLE, TN—On Nov. 12, 2015, Naomi Jean Justice, 23, of Seymour, Tenn., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Knoxville, to using a pre-pubescent minor to produce child pornography. Sentencing has been set for 1:00 p.m., Mar. 31, 2016.

Justice faces a minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of up to 30 years prison, as well as supervised release following incarceration, restitution, and fines. She will also be required to register as a sex offender in any state in which she resides, works, or attends school.

In the plea agreement on file with the U.S. District Court Clerk, Justice admitted that in July 2014 she used a pre-pubescent minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a picture of the conduct with her cellular telephone. She then sent the picture to someone in North Carolina.

This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Morris represented the United States.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.