Incarcerated Felon Pleads Guilty To Possession Of Child Pornography

MACON, Ga. – A convicted felon currently serving a federal prison sentence for crimes committed in Missouri has pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in Georgia, said Peter D. Leary, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia.

Jalen Ortez Gude, 27, of Hillsboro, Georgia, pleaded guilty to one count possession of child pornography before U.S. District Judge Tilman “Tripp” Self on Tuesday, March 9. Gude faces a maximum 20 years in prison to be followed by a minimum of five years up to a lifetime of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Gude will be sentenced at 10:00 a.m. on June 1, 2021. There is no parole in the federal system.

Gude was sentenced to serve 81 months in federal prison on January 22, 2018 for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in the Western District of Missouri. During the course of the investigation into the crimes for which he is currently imprisoned, investigators executed a search warrant on March 17, 2015 at his Hillsboro residence, recovering an iPhone and a 64GB thumb drive. The drive contained 18 photos and three videos of child pornography, including images and video that involved a minor under the age of 12.

“Prosecuting crimes against children is a top priority in the Middle District of Georgia. This defendant will be held accountable with additional federal prison time, without parole,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Leary. “I want to thank the FBI for their pursuit of justice for our most vulnerable citizens—our children.”

“Each time pornographic images of innocent children are created and shared, they are victimized again,” said Chris Hacker, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Our message to child predators is that we are committed and working hard to bring them to justice by getting them the toughest penalties of the 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."

The case was investigated by FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Will Keyes is prosecuting the case for the Government. Questions can be directed to Pamela Lightsey, Public Information Officer, U.S. Attorney’s Office, at (478) 621-2603 or Melissa Hodges, Public Affairs Officer (Contractor), U.S. Attorney’s Office, at (478) 765-2362.