Mount Airy Man Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison in Child Pornography Case That Involved Online Solicitation of Minors

GREENSBORO, N.C. – A man who pleaded guilty to transportation of child pornography was sentenced today, announced Matthew G.T. Martin, United States Attorney for the Middle District of North Carolina.

JARED THOMAS MARVIN, 24, of Mount Airy, North Carolina, pleaded guilty on January 9, 2019, to one count of transportation of child pornography. He was sentenced by United States District Judge Catherine C. Eagles to 144 months of imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release.

In 2017, the Surry County Sheriff’s Office received information from Massachusetts law enforcement that an individual residing in Mount Airy, North Carolina solicited child pornography from a 10 year old girl. Investigators with Surry County identified the individual as MARVIN and took possession of his electronic devices. In his online communication with the minor girl, MARVIN purported to be a pre-teen girl and distributed child pornography to the minor in an attempt to induce her to create and send him the same.

When questioned by investigators, MARVIN explained that he saw the 10 year old minor’s profile while browsing the social networking application Musical.ly. MARVIN admitted to possessing hundreds of child pornography files. He estimated that, over the years, he asked 100 girls between 11 and 15 years of age for images depicting their private parts and advised that his requests were successful 65-70% of the time.

“This case serves as a frightening reminder that predators lurk on popular social media applications and websites,” said United States Attorney Martin. “It is also a reminder that online sexual exploitation is a borderless crime that requires, as in this case, the hard work and cooperation of geographically distant law enforcement agencies. The United States Attorney’s Office is committed to ensuring that those who harm and endanger our children will face punishment for their repugnant behavior.”

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) reviewed MARVIN’s devices and assisted with the investigation. SBI agents found 1,417 images and 673 videos constituting child pornography on four devices owned by MARVIN. Further, agents were able to identify and contact several minor girls with whom MARVIN inappropriately communicated.

This case was investigated by the Surry County Sheriff’s Office and North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, both are members of the North Carolina Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Eric L. Iverson.

It was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat online child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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