Jacksonville Man Pleads Guilty To Soliciting And Paying For Live Molestation Of Children Over The Internet

Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney A. Lee Bentley, III announces that Justin Laurence McKinley (49, Jacksonville) has pleaded guilty to sending notices over the Internet soliciting the live molestation of children for online viewing.  He faces a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison and a potential life term of supervision.      

According to court documents, in 2015, the FBI began an investigation into a website engaging in the exploitation and enticement of children to participate in sexual activity. The FBI identified several individuals located in the United States that were associated with this website. Further investigation revealed that several individuals in a foreign country were engaged in the molestation of young children for the purpose of broadcasting live streaming “sex shows” to online viewers who had paid a fee. The individuals were arrested and McKinley was identified as one of the individuals who paid to view these live streaming “sex shows.” Between January 2014 and December 2015, McKinley sent a total of 100 electronic fund transfers, totaling $31,415, to the individuals who molested the children in the “sex shows.”

On May 27, 2016, law enforcement officers executed a federal search warrant at McKinley’s residence. During an interview, McKinley admitted that he had solicited others to molest children and live stream video of the conduct to him, and he further admitted that he had recorded many of the sessions. The victims depicted in the streaming videos ranged in age from a newborn to an 8-year-old child.  Forensic analyses of McKinley’s computer media revealed that a particular external hard drive contained at least 613 videos and 6,846 images depicting the sexual abuse of children.    

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, and law enforcement authorities in several other countries. It 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.justice.gov/psc.