Jacksonville, FL - United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Clement Ashford Reeves, Jr. (73, Yulee) has pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography over the Internet. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervision. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
According to court documents, an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations began an undercover operation to identify persons using the Internet to receive and share child pornography. The agent learned that a host computer in Florida had been sharing child pornography since Dec. 15, 2011. That computer was traced to Reeves’s residence.
On June 3, 2015, agents met with Reeves at his home. During an interview, Reeves stated that he had downloaded depictions of prepubescent children, but that his preference was for young girls. He also said that he had been using the file sharing program for 10-15 years. Agents seized several computer devices that contained 22 videos depicting young children being sexually abused.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.
It is another case 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 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.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
