A Baltimore man, Gary Rocky Jones, has been sentenced to life in federal prison for the sexual exploitation of 16 minors. The sentence was handed down by Chief U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III, and includes lifetime supervised release.

The announcement was made by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, alongside Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno from the FBI's Baltimore Field Office and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department.

Jones, already a twice-convicted sex offender, was found guilty in September 2023 on multiple charges including 27 counts of sexually exploiting a child and 15 counts related to using the internet to entice minors into illegal sexual activities. He was also convicted of distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material.

Evidence presented at trial revealed that between 2014 and 2015, Jones produced explicit images and videos involving a minor male aged between 14 and 15 years old. Further evidence showed that from September 2018 through August 2020, he used social media to coerce an additional 15 minors from various states into similar conduct.

Jones convinced these victims to produce livestreamed and recorded explicit content which they then sent to him over the internet. He also distributed child sexual abuse material via social media on April 2, 2018.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. This initiative brings together federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.

U.S. Attorney Barron commended both the FBI Baltimore Field Office and the Baltimore Police Department for their roles in this investigation. He also acknowledged Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Colleen E. McGuinn for prosecuting the case.

For further information about Project Safe Childhood or Internet safety education resources, visit www.justice.gov/psc.