Massachusetts Man Sentenced For Human Trafficking And Production Of Child Pornography

Jackson, Miss - Jemery Hodges, 27, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge David Bramlette III to serve 23 years and 2 months in federal prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for human trafficking of a minor child and the production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis and Raymond R. Parmer, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of ICE Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans.

At his June, 2013, guilty plea hearing, Hodges admitted traveling to Mississippi for the purpose of engaging in sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 10 years old. He also admitted that he produced videos of himself engaging in sexually explicit conduct with the child.

“Today’s sentencing reaffirms the message that there are serious consequences for victimizing innocent children,” said U.S. Attorney Davis. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is dedicated to the aggressive prosecution of those who commit such heinous crimes.”

“The horrific abuse inflicted upon a defenseless child in this case was unspeakable, and yet the defendant went even further by recording and sharing the evidence of his sexual crimes,” said HSI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Raymond R. Parmer Jr. "Predators destroy lives, and HSI will continue to do everything it can to protect children by investigating and seeking prosecution wherever these criminals may be found." Parmer oversees a five-state region including Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Tennessee.

The investigation of this case began when the Cambridge, Massachusetts Police Department received information about a video tape of illegal sexual activities and the production of videos depicting the sexual assault of a child. The Cambridge Police Department contacted the Department of Homeland Security (“HSI”) in Atlanta and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation who worked with HSI in Jackson to conduct further investigation. The collaborative efforts of HSI agents and investigators in Cambridge, Atlanta, Memphis and Jackson ultimately led to the identification of the minor child in the videos, who is now safe with her family.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Glenda Haynes and Scott Gilbert prosecuted the case for the government.
This 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 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 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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