ERIE, Pa. - A former resident of Erie, Pennsylvania pleaded guilty in federal court to charges of violating federal laws relating to the sexual exploitation of children, Acting United States Attorney Stephen R. Kaufman announced today.
Jeffrey Adam Jepson, 39, pleaded guilty to two counts before United States District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter.
In connection with the guilty plea, the court was advised that Jepson distributed sexually explicit photos depicting a minor victim under the age of six to an undercover officer. Jepson also possessed other images of child sexual abuse depicting minors under the age of twelve, some as young as infants and toddlers.
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 individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Judge Baxter scheduled sentencing for October 14, 2021 at 1:30 p.m. The defendant has agreed to a 12-year sentence to be followed by 20 years of supervised release. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed is based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Christian A. Trabold is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pennsylvania State Police, the District of Columbia’s Metropolitan Police Department and the Erie County Detectives Bureau conducted the investigation that led to the prosecution of Jepson.
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