U.S. District Judge Henry E. Autrey has sentenced Jason Michael Enke to 14 years in prison for attempting to persuade minors to engage in sex acts online. In addition to the prison term, Enke was ordered to pay a special assessment of $5,300 to support victims of child sexual abuse material and will be under supervised release for life after his release.
Between August and October 2023, Enke sent sexually explicit messages through online chat sessions and social media to five individuals who identified themselves as minors. He attempted to persuade them into sexual conduct and shared a video involving himself and a 16-year-old.
In November 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted the FBI’s St. Louis office about Enke sending a video containing child pornography to an Instagram user who claimed to be 15 years old. A court-approved search of Enke’s home near Bourbon, Missouri led FBI agents to discover videos with child sexual abuse material on his electronic devices.
Acting Special Agent in Charge Chris Crocker of the FBI St. Louis Division expressed gratitude towards the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children: “We thank the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for sharing tips in this case and others.” He added that collaboration with the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office resulted in removing "another predator off the streets so he can no longer prey on children."
Enke, aged 45 from Crawford County, Missouri, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis on charges including receipt of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, and coercion and enticement of a minor.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI alongside the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Jillian Anderson prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. The project coordinates federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders exploiting children via the Internet while identifying and rescuing victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.