Madison County man indicted for child sexual exploitation

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Prim F. Escalona, U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama

Madison County man indicted for child sexual exploitation

A man from Madison County has been indicted on charges related to child sexual exploitation, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.

Randy Steven Smith, 48, from Huntsville, Alabama, faces a four-count indictment in the U.S. District Court. The charges include one count of sexual exploitation of children, one count of receipt of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of transfer of obscene matter to a minor. These alleged incidents took place between 2023 and 2024 in Madison County.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force with assistance from various agencies including the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), U.S. Marshal Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Etowah County Sheriff’s Office, and Huntsville Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney R. Leann White is handling the prosecution.

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. The project is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices along with the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and utilizes federal, state, and local resources to locate and prosecute individuals exploiting children online while also working to identify and rescue victims.

It should be noted that an indictment contains only charges; a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.