DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

UNITED STATES ATTORNEY
GRETCHEN C.F. SHAPPERT
WESTERN DISTRICT OF NORTH CAROLINA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2009

CONTACT: SUELLEN PIERCE
704.338.3120
FAX 704.227.0264

TWO MEN SENTENCED IN FEDERAL COURT FOR INTERNET CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN Criminal Defendants Sentenced to Federal Prison in Child Pornography Possession and Online Enticement Cases ASHEVILLE, NC - Two men were sentenced by The Honorable Lacy Thornburg, U.S. District Judge, in Asheville today in two separate cases, both of which involved Internet crimes against children, announced United States Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert.

Sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Asheville was David Bruce Jenkins, 48, of Monroe, North Carolina. Jenkins was sentenced to 262 months (more than 21 years) in federal prison. Jenkins was charged in a one count federal indictment in 2008 with online enticement (using a computer via the Internet to knowingly attempt to entice an individual, whom he believed had not yet attained the age of 18, to engage in criminal sexual activity). Jenkins entered a guilty plea to that charge in July 2008, and has been in federal custody in connection with the charge since June 2008.

According to information presented at today’s sentencing hearing, Jenkins had traveled to the Asheville area to have sex with a person he believed to be an 11-year-old girl. Further according to information brought out at the hearing, Jenkins traveled to the meet location where an officer with the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office attempted to perform a vehicle stop. Jenkins refused to stop and led law enforcement on a 10-15 minute vehicle chase, before stopping. Upon his arrest, he was found to be in possession of two guns and some knives. Jenkins was formerly employed as a press operator with a company in Monroe. Jenkins will be required to register as a sex offender, and following his term of imprisonment, he will have five years of supervised release.

Richard Lee Crum was also sentenced today, and he received a term of 97 months (more than eight years) in federal prison. Crum, 37, of Newport, Tennessee, has been in federal custody in the Western District of North Carolina since his arrest on April 29, 2008. Crum, formerly employed as an emergency medical technician, entered a guilty plea, as charged, in June 2008 to one count alleging possession of child pornography. Crum pled guilty that he knowingly possessed a computer hard drive which contained visual depictions which involved a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Crum will be required to register as a sex offender, and in addition to his term of imprisonment, he was ordered to a term of five years of supervised release following his release from federal prison.

Both of these prosecutions were brought under Project Safe Childhood. Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 that aims to combat the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. The threat of sexual predators soliciting children for physical sexual contact is well-known and serious; the danger of perpetrators who produce, distribute and possess child pornography is equally dramatic and disturbing.

The Department of Justice is committed to the safety and well-being of every child and has placed a high priority on combating sexual exploitation of minors. Through a network of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies and advocacy organizations, PSC coordinates efforts to protect our children by investigating and prosecuting online sexual predators. PSC in the Western District of North Carolina is implemented through a partnership between the U.S. Attorney’s Office; the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department’s Criminal Division, the North Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force; federal partners, including the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Marshals Service; advocacy organizations such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; and state and local law enforcement officials. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Carolina is committed, together with its law enforcement partners on all levels and with the Justice Department, to protecting minors and to combating sexual exploitation of minors.

The two federal criminal cases announced today were brought for federal prosecution by the Buncombe County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance by the FBI. One of the important facets of the Justice Department’s “Project Safe Childhood” initiative is community awareness and educational programs for families. Helpful resources recommended by the U.S. Department of Justice on the topic of internet safety for children include:

Boys and Girl Clubs of America at www.bgca.org
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at www.missingkids.com
Obscenity Crimes - Morality in Media at www.obscenitycrimes.org
Safe School Education & Community Awareness I-SAFE America at www.isafe.org
Web Wise Kids at www.wiredwithwisdom.org
NetSmartz Workshop at www.netsmartz.org

Federal terms of imprisonment are served without the possibility of parole.