Jonathan D. Ross U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas
A Blytheville man, Jeremy Barnett, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for the production of child pornography and illegal possession of firearms. The sentencing was announced by Jonathan D. Ross, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and handed down by United States District Judge D.P. Marshall, Jr.
Barnett, 36, was indicted on October 5, 2023, by a federal grand jury on charges including being a felon in possession of firearms, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. On March 6, 2025, he pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of firearms and production of child pornography after a two-count Superseding Information was filed.
Judge Marshall imposed a sentence of 20 years for the production of child pornography conviction and an additional 10-year sentence for being a felon in possession of firearms. Both sentences will be served concurrently. Barnett will also serve five years on supervised release following his incarceration. There is no parole available under the federal system.
The investigation revealed that Barnett was involved in trafficking methamphetamine and other controlled substances. Law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his residence where they found multiple firearms along with drugs including marijuana, methamphetamine pills, suspected oxycodone and alprazolam.
While awaiting trial on the original indictment, officers learned that Barnett had recorded himself engaging in sexual acts with a minor on several occasions. A subsequent search warrant led to the recovery of videos from Barnett’s phone showing sexually explicit conduct with the minor victim.
Barnett's criminal history includes convictions for offenses such as criminal trespass, possession of marijuana, carrying a weapon, battery in the third degree and criminal mischief, as well as domestic battery in the second degree.
According to officials: "This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States."
The investigation involved agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Federal Bureau of Investigation; Mississippi County Sheriff’s Office; Second Judicial District Drug Task Force; with prosecution led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Eastern District of Arkansas.
