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Date: 03-16-2022
Case Style:
Case Number: 4:20-cr-00277-SDJ-KPJ
Judge: Sean P. Jordan
Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas (Denton County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office
Defendant's Attorney:
Description: Plano, Texas criminal defense lawyer represented defendant charged with production of child porn.
Aliyah George Simpson, 26, pleaded guilty on June 2, 2021, to five counts of production of child pornography and one count of transportation of child pornography.
According to information presented in court, in the fall of 2020, members of HSI and the Flower Mound Police Department were investigating an individual using an online cloud storage service to transport files of child pornography. As part of that investigation, investigators served a search warrant at Simpson's residence, during which they seized several items of digital equipment. Through a forensic investigation, agents located a number of images and videos of a child identified as Victim 1, a minor who had not attained the age of 10-years old. Agents also located messages with other minors in a social media application, in which Simpson induced the teens to engage in sexually explicit conduct, film that conduct, and then send the recordings to him.
As part of his plea agreement, Simpson admitted to abusing Victim 1 on multiple occasions. Specifically, while Victim 1 was sleeping or unconscious, Simpson sexually abused the child and recorded the abuse on cellular telephones that he owned. Simpson has also admitted to persuading, inducing, and enticing two other minors, known as Victim 2 and Victim 3, to film themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct and to send him the recordings. Simpson was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 15, 2020.
“This office, joined by our local, state and federal law enforcement partners, will always work tirelessly and spare no expense to detect, arrest and prosecute anyone who chooses to harm a child,” said U.S. Attorney Brit Featherston. “In fact, to those who commit these evil acts, you are our priority. We appreciate those dedicated men and women of law enforcement who make it their mission to protect the children of our communities.”
“HSI works relentlessly with our law enforcement partners at all levels to ensure child predators face justice for their unspeakable crimes,” said Christopher Miller, acting Special Agent in Charge HSI Dallas. “This lengthy sentence reaffirms our commitment to protecting the innocence of our most vulnerable from sexual abuse and exploitation.”
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Flower Mound Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Marisa Miller.
SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN A/K/A PRODUCTION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
(1)
SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN A/K/A PRODUCTION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
(2)
18 U.S.C. 2251 provides:
(a) Any person who employs, uses, persuades, induces, entices, or coerces any minor to engage in, or who has a minor assist any other person to engage in, or who transports any minor in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, or in any Territory or Possession of the United States, with the intent that such minor engage in, any sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing any visual depiction of such conduct or for the purpose of transmitting a live visual depiction of such conduct, shall be punished as provided under subsection (e), if such person knows or has reason to know that such visual depiction will be transported or transmitted using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or mailed, if that visual depiction was produced or transmitted using materials that have been mailed, shipped, or transported in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including by computer, or if such visual depiction has actually been transported or transmitted using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or mailed.
(b) Any parent, legal guardian, or person having custody or control of a minor who knowingly permits such minor to engage in, or to assist any other person to engage in, sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing any visual depiction of such conduct or for the purpose of transmitting a live visual depiction of such conduct shall be punished as provided under subsection (e) of this section, if such parent, legal guardian, or person knows or has reason to know that such visual depiction will be transported or transmitted using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or mailed, if that visual depiction was produced or transmitted using materials that have been mailed, shipped, or transported in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including by computer, or if such visual depiction has actually been transported or transmitted using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce or mailed.
(c)
(1) Any person who, in a circumstance described in paragraph (2), employs, uses, persuades, induces, entices, or coerces any minor to engage in, or who has a minor assist any other person to engage in, any sexually explicit conduct outside of the United States, its territories or possessions, for the purpose of producing any visual depiction of such conduct, shall be punished as provided under subsection (e).
(2) The circumstance referred to in paragraph (1) is that—
(A) the person intends such visual depiction to be transported to the United States, its territories or possessions, by any means, including by using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or mail; or
(B) the person transports such visual depiction to the United States, its territories or possessions, by any means, including by using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or mail.
(d)
(1) Any person who, in a circumstance described in paragraph (2), knowingly makes, prints, or publishes, or causes to be made, printed, or published, any notice or advertisement seeking or offering—
(A) to receive, exchange, buy, produce, display, distribute, or reproduce, any visual depiction, if the production of such visual depiction involves the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct and such visual depiction is of such conduct; or
(B) participation in any act of sexually explicit conduct by or with any minor for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct;
shall be punished as provided under subsection (e).
(2) The circumstance referred to in paragraph (1) is that—
(A) such person knows or has reason to know that such notice or advertisement will be transported using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means including by computer or mailed; or
(B) such notice or advertisement is transported using any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means including by computer or mailed.
(e) Any individual who violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, this section shall be fined under this title and imprisoned not less than 15 years nor more than 30 years, but if such person has one prior conviction under this chapter, section 1591, chapter 71, chapter 109A, or chapter 117, or under section 920 of title 10 (article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice), or under the laws of any State relating to aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse, abusive sexual contact involving a minor or ward, or sex trafficking of children, or the production, possession, receipt, mailing, sale, distribution, shipment, or transportation of child pornography, such person shall be fined under this title and imprisoned for not less than 25 years nor more than 50 years, but if such person has 2 or more prior convictions under this chapter, chapter 71, chapter 109A, or chapter 117, or under section 920 of title 10 (article 120 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice), or under the laws of any State relating to the sexual exploitation of children, such person shall be fined under this title and imprisoned not less than 35 years nor more than life. Any organization that violates, or attempts or conspires to violate, this section shall be fined under this title. Whoever, in the course of an offense under this section, engages in conduct that results in the death of a person, shall be punished by death or imprisoned for not less than 30 years or for life.
Outcome: Defendant was sentenced to 540 months in federal prison.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments: