Duval County High School Teacher Arrested And Charged With Distribution Of Child Pornography

Jacksonville, Florida – Jeremy Scott Clark (44, Ponte Vedra) was arrested today and charged by federal criminal complaint with distributing child pornography. He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison, and a potential lifetime of supervision. Clark has been detained pending a hearing scheduled for March 13, 2018, in Jacksonville.

According to the criminal complaint, on February 22, 2018, an individual using the screen name “LLCoolJack1973” responded to a message on an internet bulletin board frequented by individuals with a sexual interest in children. This message had been posted by an undercover FBI agent. The user (LLCoolJack1973), later identified as Jeremy Scott Clark, began an online conversation with the undercover FBI agent. After some conversation about sexual activity with children, the user sent an image of an adult male on a bed displaying his penis, and later sent a link to the FBI agent that contained images of prepubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Further investigation revealed that the internet protocol address used by “LLCoolJack1973” traced back to Clark’s residence in Ponte Vedra, and that Clark was a teacher at First Coast High School in Jacksonville. 

On March 8, 2018, FBI agents and other law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at Clark’s residence and seized several items of computer media and at least one Apple iPhone. Through interviews, agents were able to confirm that the picture of the naked male sent to the undercover FBI agent depicted Clark on his bed, in a bedroom at his residence. Clark was placed under arrest.

A criminal complaint is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty. 

This case was investigated by the FBI and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office. Anyone with information regarding this investigation should contact the FBI Jacksonville office at (904) 248-7000. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

It is another case 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 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."