United States Attorney Jill E. Steinberg | U.S. Department of Justice
A former U.S. Air Force airman has been sentenced to federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse images. Jacob Christian Butler, 33, from Augusta, received a sentence of 84 months after pleading guilty to possession of child pornography. This was announced by Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.
U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall ordered Butler to register as a sex offender and serve 15 years of supervised release following his prison term. In the federal system, there is no parole.
“Possessing child pornography perpetuates the victimization of child sexual abuse survivors,” stated U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to protect our most vulnerable citizens.”
Court documents revealed that Butler was an Airman First Class in the U.S. Air Force at Fort Eisenhower with high-level security clearance. A prohibited cellular device was detected by a security system at a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) when Butler entered it, leading to the seizure of his phone by security personnel.
Investigators found multiple images of child sexual abuse on the device and discovered additional devices containing hundreds more similar images and videos during a search of Butler’s residence.
Judge Hall acknowledged that restitution is owed to victims identified in the images but agreed to delay finalizing this pending further investigation.
“This prosecution is another example of law enforcement working together to protect our children,” said FBI Atlanta Assistant Special Agent in Charge Brian Ozden. “FBI Atlanta will continue to pursue predators and hold them accountable for their actions.”
The case involved investigations by the FBI and Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and was prosecuted by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason W. Blanchard along with the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Counsel.
For information on suspected child sexual exploitation, contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 800-843-5678 or visit https://report.cybertip.org/.
