Rigby Couple Indicted for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor Child

POCATELLO – Joseph Lavern Harris, 30, and Elizabeth Dawn Evans, 27, of Rigby, Idaho, were indicted on March 27, 2018, by a federal grand jury for one count of sexual exploitation of a minor child, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced.  Harris and Evans made their initial appearance on the charge on March 30, 2018, where they entered not guilty pleas.  Trial is set for June 4, 2018, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill, at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.

The indictment alleges that on or between December 2017, and February 25, 2018, Harris and Evans knowingly employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed or coerced a minor child to take part in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct.  The two are charged in the alternative with aiding and abetting the crime.  The indictment also calls for the forfeiture of real and personal property associated with the offense.

The charge of sexual exploitation of a minor child is punishable by a minimum 15 years in prison, up to 30 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to a lifetime of supervised release.  The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

An indictment is a means of charging a person with criminal activity. It is not evidence. The person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”