Frederick County Man Sentenced to More Than 12 Years in Federal Prison for Posing as a Teenaged Girl Online and Inducing Minor Males to Produce and Send Sexually Explicit Images and Videos

Baltimore, Maryland - U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett today sentenced Jake Tyler Patterson, age 21, of Adamstown, Maryland, to 150 months in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release, for coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity in order to produce child pornography.  Judge Bennett also ordered that, upon his release from prison, Patterson must continue to register as a sex offender in the places where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). 

The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur; Special Agent in Charge Jennifer C. Boone of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Baltimore Field Office; Frederick County Sheriff Charles A. “Chuck” Jenkins; and Frederick County State’s Attorney J. Charles Smith.

“Patterson, like many criminals, took advantage of the anonymity of the Internet to pose as a minor female and solicit young boys to send him sexually explicit images and video,” said U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur.  “Now he will serve over 12 years in federal prison, where there is no parole—ever.  One alert parent checked their child’s smartphone, found sexually explicit photos, and called the police.  That call may have prevented more children from being abused by this predator.”

According to his guilty plea, beginning in approximately fall of 2017, Patterson set up an online social media profile pretending to be a 15- or 16- year-old girl who resided outside of Maryland.  Using that profile, Patterson sought out minor males and established online relationships with them. Patterson initiated sexually explicit conversations with the victims and convinced them to produce and send sexually explicit images and videos of the victims.  As part of his inducement, Patterson sent sexually explicit files displaying female genitals.  Patterson also paid some of the victims with gift cards, including Amazon, iTunes, Xbox, and PlayStation.

As detailed in his plea agreement, from July to December 2018 Patterson’s victims ranged in age from 12 to 15 years old and resided in Colorado, Michigan, Texas, and Maryland.  All of the victims sent at least one sexually explicit image or video to Patterson, and several victims sent more than that.  Patterson offered, and sent, the victims gift cards to induce them to send more sexually explicit images and videos.  For example, a review of Patterson’s Amazon account showed that Patterson had purchased 55 gift cards in the previous 10 months, totaling approximately $2,600.

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 Attorney’s 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.justice.gov/psc.  For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.       

United States Attorney Robert K. Hur commended the FBI, the Frederick County Sheriff’s Office, and the Frederick County State’s Attorney’s Office for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Hur thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Joyce King, a cross-designated Frederick County Assistant State’s Attorney, who prosecuted the federal case.

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