BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A Birmingham man has been sentenced for producing child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr. Chief U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala sentenced Robert Lee Ford, Jr., 35, to 660 months in prison. Ford pleaded guilty after jury selection in a trial to two-counts of sexual exploitation. According to the plea agreement, on January 24, 2025, a deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to Children’s of Alabama hospital after receiving a report of an assault on a child. The child’s mother reported that her 14-year-old daughter had been assaulted by Ford. After further investigation and with assistance from the FBI, deputies executed a state search warrant on Ford’s apartment and arrested Ford on state charges. The FBI continued investigating and executed federal search warrants on Ford’s online accounts. A review of these accounts revealed videos of child sexual abuse material Ford had produced using the minor victim on multiple dates in December 2024 and January 2025. “Child exploitation is a horrific crime. Fifty-five years in federal prison means that this defendant will spend the rest of his life behind bars, unable to victimize another child,” said U.S. Attorney Williams. “We will use every tool in our toolbox and work alongside our law enforcement partners to find those who exploit children. If you engage in these crimes, we will find you, and we will hold you accountable. There is no place to hide.”
“The horrific abuse suffered by this child underscores the FBI’s unwavering commitment to protecting our most vulnerable victims and holding offenders fully accountable,” said David R. Fitzgibbons, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Birmingham Field Office. “Robert Lee Ford Jr.’s lengthy prison sentence reflects the seriousness of his crimes and sends a clear message that those who sexually exploit children, Justice Will Find You. The FBI remains committed to working alongside our law enforcement partners to identify offenders, safeguard children, and support survivors throughout the investigative process.”
If you suspect or become aware of a child being sexually abused or exploited, please contact law enforcement. To alert the FBI Birmingham Office, call 205-326-6166. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at www.cybertipline.org.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s 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 and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case along with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Leann White and J. Patrick Lamb are prosecuting the case.