Florida Man Sentenced on Child Sex Charge
James Clement Will Serve 96 Months in Federal Prison
| U.S. Attorney’s Office March 27, 2014 |
HARRISONBURG, VA—A Florida man who pled guilty last year to charges related to his illicit sexual conduct with a minor was sentenced yesterday in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Harrisonburg.
James Christopher Clement, 33, of St. Petersburg, Florida, previously pled guilty to one count of traveling in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with a person under the age of 18. Yesterday in District Court, Clement was sentenced to spend 96 months in federal prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
“Mr. Clement and others who travel across state lines to exploit children cause severe and lasting harm to their victims,” United States Attorney Timothy J. Heaphy said today. “The punishment imposed in this case reflects the significance of that harm and demonstrates our commitment to holding child predators accountable.”
“Mr. Clement’s sentence sends a strong message to those who victimize children; the FBI and our law enforcement partners will find these predators and deliver them to justice. Cases involving child victims are a high priority for the FBI. The outcome of this case demonstrates our commitment to the fight against child exploitation,” said Adam S. Lee, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Richmond Division.
According to evidence presented at a previous hearing by Assistant United States Attorney Ronald Huber, Clement was a carnival worker who began dating the victim’s mother in 2010. Soon after the two began dating, Clement moved into the family’s Rockingham County home. Shortly thereafter, Clement established an inappropriate relationship with the victim. In November 2010, Clement convinced the victim to take a trip with Clement to West Virginia and Kentucky. Clement has admitted that his purpose in taking the victim out of state was to have illicit sexual contact with her. Clement was arrested in Kentucky and returned to Virginia for prosecution.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Ronald Huber prosecuted the case for the United States.