Repeat Offender Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for Child Pornography

Huntsville, Ala. – A Limestone County man has been sentenced for committing child sexual exploitation crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.

U.S. District Judge Harold D. Mooty, III, sentenced Clayton Sawyer, Jr., 67, of Athens, Alabama, to 180 months in prison, followed by a life term of supervised release. As part of his sentence, Sawyer was ordered to pay a $3,000 special assessment under the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Act. In December 2025, Sawyer pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography.

According to the plea agreement, on February 4, 2025, United States Probation Officers searched Sawyer’s residence and found a Samsung smartphone hidden inside of a box of “Breakfast Essentials.” A forensic analysis of the device revealed 18 images of child pornography. Possession of an electronic communication device without prior approval was a violation of the provisions of Sawyer’s supervised release.

At the time of the search, Sawyer was serving a life term of supervised release following federal convictions in the Northen District of Alabama for receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography.  

The FBI Birmingham – Huntsville RA investigated the case along with the United States Probation Office. Assistant United States Attorney Daniel S. McBrayer prosecuted the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. 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, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.