Today, a Baltimore man was sentenced to life in federal prison for the sexual exploitation of 16 minors. Chief U.S. District Judge George L. Russell, III handed down the sentence to Gary Rocky Jones, 43, who will also face lifetime supervised release.
The announcement was made by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, along with Special Agent in Charge William J. DelBagno of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office and Commissioner Richard Worley of the Baltimore Police Department.
Jones, a twice-convicted sex offender, was found guilty in September 2023 on multiple charges including 27 counts of sexually exploiting a child and 15 counts related to using the internet to entice minors into illegal sexual activity. He was also convicted of distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material.
Evidence presented during the trial showed that between 2014 and 2015, Jones produced explicit images and videos involving a minor male aged between 14 and 15 years old. From September 2018 through August 2020, he used social media to coerce an additional 15 minor males from various states into similar activities.
Jones convinced these victims to produce livestreamed and recorded explicit content which they sent to him over the internet. On April 2, 2018, he distributed child sexual abuse material via social media. Furthermore, between December 2, 2014, and January 31, 2020, as well as from May 29, 2017, through July 14, 2020, Jones possessed such material using two separate email addresses.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood initiated by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation nationwide. The project combines resources from federal, state, and local levels to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.
U.S. Attorney Barron praised the efforts of both the FBI Baltimore Field Office and the Baltimore Police Department in their investigation. He also acknowledged Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul E. Budlow and Colleen E. McGuinn for prosecuting the case.
Further information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc along with resources on Internet safety education.