A man from Wilmore, Kentucky, Jason Horton, aged 43, has been sentenced to 35 years in prison for the production of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves delivered the sentence on Monday.
Horton had previously pleaded guilty following an investigation that began with a tip received by law enforcement in October 2023. The tip indicated that Horton, who was already a convicted sex offender, was using online platforms to exploit minors sexually. Search warrants executed at Horton's residence and on his electronic devices revealed conversations where he solicited minors to produce explicit images. He admitted to having an online relationship with a 16-year-old victim through Snapchat and persuading her to send him explicit images.
At the time of this offense, Horton was required to register as a sex offender due to a previous conviction in Kentucky for rape and sodomy in the second degree in 2004.
Federal law mandates that Horton serve at least 85 percent of his sentence before becoming eligible for release. Following his release, he will be under lifetime supervision by the U.S. Probation Office.
The sentencing announcement was made jointly by Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Rana Saoud, Special Agent in Charge at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Col. Phillip J. Burnett Jr., Commissioner of the Kentucky State Police; and Sheriff Mike Coyle from Madison County Sheriff's Office.
The case was investigated by HSI along with the Kentucky State Police and Madison County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Roth prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. It involves federal, state, and local resources working together to apprehend individuals exploiting children via the Internet and rescue victims.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.