U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey has sentenced Jason Michael Enke to 14 years in prison for attempting to persuade minors to engage in sex acts online. The sentencing, which took place on Wednesday, also includes a special assessment of $5,300 directed towards victims of child sexual abuse material. Following his release from prison, Enke will be under supervised release for life.
Between August and October 2023, Enke engaged in sending sexually explicit messages through online chat sessions and social media to five individuals who identified themselves as minors. He attempted to persuade them into sexual conduct and shared a video involving himself and a 16-year-old engaging in sex acts.
In November 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) informed the FBI’s St. Louis office about Enke's distribution of a video containing child pornography to an Instagram user who claimed to be 15 years old. A court-approved search of Enke’s residence near Bourbon, Missouri by FBI agents uncovered videos containing child sexual abuse material on his electronic devices.
“We thank the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for sharing tips in this case and others,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division. “As a result, FBI St. Louis, the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri have taken another predator off the streets so he can no longer prey on children.”
Enke, aged 45 from Crawford County, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to charges including receipt and distribution of child pornography as well as coercion and enticement of a minor.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI along with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office while Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
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 by utilizing federal, state, and local resources effectively.
