Former University Professor Sentenced to 63 Months for Attempting to Transmit Obscene Material to a Minor

Jeffery H. Sloman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and John V. Gillies, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office, announced that former University of South Alabama Professor Barry Simpson, 44, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Joan A. Lenard to 63 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Simpson was previously convicted of attempting to transmit obscene material to a minor using the Internet.

As part of a child exploitation investigation, an undercover FBI agent posed as a 13-year-old girl in an Internet chat room. In the chat room, Simpson approached the undercover agent and initiated a conversation. During the course of the conversation, Simpson transmitted clothed pictures of himself and sexually explicit material to the agent. A subsequent federal search warrant of Simpson’s office at the University revealed that his work computer contained images of child pornography.

On June 18, 2009, Simpson pled guilty to Count 1 of a two-count indictment that charged him with attempting to transfer obscene material to a minor, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section, 1470.

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 and led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.

Special Agent in Charge John V. Gillies stated, “Protecting children from predators who troll the Internet is a top priority for the FBI. This case sends a clear message to those attempting to transmit obscene material to minors: your identity will be uncovered. It also is a warning to parents to be vigilant with your children’s Internet use.”

Mr. Sloman commended the FBI for their work on this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam L. Schwartz.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.