PROVIDENCE – A repeat sex offender who used social media and online messaging platforms to target and sexually exploit minors was sentenced today in U.S. District Court. Jeremy Barton, 46, a registered sex offender, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 300 months in federal prison, to be followed by 20 years’ supervised release for federal offenses involving the enticement and sexual exploitation of minors and distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Barton was previously convicted in state court for sexually assaulting minors and was a registered sex offender at the time he committed the federal offenses. According to court documents, Barton used multiple social media and messaging platforms to contact and lure minor boys, often by disguising his identity by impersonating young females. He engaged in persistent efforts to entice the children to record themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct. He enticed them to send him pictures and videos of that conduct and later distributed the CSAM to members of online chatrooms hosted on an encrypted app. As the administrator of several of those chatrooms, Barton actively participated in online communities dedicated to the exploitation of children. At a subsequent search of Barton’s home, investigators also recovered numerous images and videos of CSAM from Barton’s digital devices.
The court also ordered $10,000 in restitution to victims identified through the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children and a $3,000 assessment under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act.
“Barton repeatedly used online platforms to target and exploit children, despite a prior conviction and court supervision,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles C. Calenda. “His conduct was deliberate, predatory, and persistent. Today’s sentence ensures that he will not have access to children for decades, and it delivers accountability for the harm he caused to vulnerable victims. Our office remains steadfast in protecting children and aggressively prosecuting those who seek to exploit them.”
“This level 3 sex offender will now spend more than two decades behind bars for preying on young children for his own sick gratification,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “Those who seek out images of child sexual abuse help drive a demand for this depraved material, resulting in the continued exploitation of these children. Today’s sentence holds Jeremy Barton accountable for his actions and highlights the solid work of the FBI's Child Exploitation – Human Trafficking Task Force, committed to its mission of protecting our most vulnerable from harm.” The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christine Lowell, with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorney Lee Vilker.
The matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with the assistance of the Narragansett Police Department.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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 Justice.gov/PSC.