SACRAMENTO, CA—Jordan James Kirby, 23, of Paradise, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. to 29 years in prison for production of child pornography and enticement of a minor, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner, FBI Special Agent in Charge Monica M. Miller, Butte County District Attorney Michael L. Ramsey, and Paradise Police Chief Gabriela F. Tazzari‑Dineen announced.

According to court documents, between 2011 and 2013, Kirby used various online identities on Facebook to solicit women and juvenile girls for lascivious and sexually explicit photographs, which he would then use them to extort them. Generally, Kirby’s initial posts stated that he was an agent for a modeling agency and offered thousands of dollars to girls for photographs of themselves in their underwear, bikinis, or various stages of undress. As an inducement, Kirby told the girls that he had come into a large amount of money, and sent pictures of himself holding a large wad of cash, or a large amount of cash spread on his computer. After receiving the desired photos, Kirby used the embarrassing pictures to extort or attempt to extort sex acts from victims. On March 6, 2015, Kirby pleaded guilty to two counts of enticement of a minor, three counts of attempted production of child pornography, and one count of attempted enticement of a minor. The victims were between the ages of 10 and 15.

US Attorney Wagner said: “While always reprehensible, on-line exploitation and extortion of under-aged victims inflicts very real and lasting harm upon our community’s most vulnerable victims. We will continue to work together with our federal and local law enforcement partners to bring such predators to justice.”

“Kirby took unlawful and inappropriate pictures of multiple children, using social media as a platform for his crimes, and then extorted an threatened children to obtain more photographs. His is conduct is reprehensible,” said Supervisory Special Agent Monica M. Miller. “Kirby committed his crimes by exploiting the anonymity and distance of Internet communications. This case highlights the need for family dialogue about the potential dangers of online interaction. Social media platforms present safety risks that are akin to any public space and all users should know the steps to take to report suspicious activity. In this case, prompt response from the victims’ parents enabled law enforcement to identify Kirby, ceasing his ability to continue to victimize others. We thank our law enforcement partners for the collaborative effort to identify Kirby and ensure that he faced justice for his crimes.”

District Attorney Michael L. Ramsey said: “I appreciate the collaborative work with both the local and federal agencies that resulted in taking a predator off of the streets for the next twenty-nine years.”

Chief Tazzari-Dineen said: “The Paradise Police Department considers the safety of all citizens to be a top priority and it is especially true of children. A predator of young children has been removed from our community. We appreciate the collaboration and assistance of the local FBI Office and the Butte County District Attorney’s Office with this investigation.”

This case was the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Paradise Police Department and the Butte County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sherry Haus prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about Internet safety education.