Ohio Man Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Charges Involving Minors in Multiple States

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 14, 2019, for Andrew J. Stone, 33, of Rocky River, Ohio, who entered pleas of guilty today to charges of transportation of a minor for unlawful sexual activity and production of child pornography. Stone appeared before U.S District Judge Sara Darrow in Rock Island.

According to court documents and admissions made in connection with his guilty pleas, Stone engaged in internet communications with a 15-year old girl who lived in Illinois. In December 2016, Stone traveled from Ohio to Illinois to meet the girl and then drove her to Iowa, where he and the girl engaged in sexual activity and Stone created video of the sexually explicit conduct. In addition, Stone admitted to illegal sexual activity with other minor girls in Illinois, Missouri, and Ohio. Further, Stone admitted that he caused the girls in those states and other girls in Iowa, Virginia, and Pennsylvania to create videos of themselves engaged in sexually explicit conduct and to send the videos to Stone.

Stone was arrested in Ohio on July 28, 2017, and charged in a federal criminal complaint filed in the Central District of Illinois. The grand jury returned an indictment in August 2017. Subsequent investigation revealed the additional illegal sexual activity that Stone admitted in court today.

Stone has agreed to serve a sentence of 35 years (425 months) in prison recommended by the government, according to the plea agreement filed today.

The charges were investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, the Moline Police Department, Illinois State Police, and the Ohio Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Don Allegro.

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 www.justice.gov/psc.