Louisville, Kentucky, Man Sentenced To 22 ½ Years For Producing Child Pornography

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - A Louisville, Kentucky, man was sentenced to 22 ½ years today, by Senior United States District Judge Thomas B. Russell, for violating federal child pornography laws, namely, the production of child pornography, announced David J. Hale, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky.

Jamar Garrett a/k/a Darnell Hamilton, age 35, admitted in court that during June through July, 2012, he represented himself as Darnell Hamilton and lived in Jefferson County, Kentucky. During that time period, he rented a room in a home (where a nine-year-old female child also lived). On July 1, 2012, Garrett engaged in sexually explicit conduct with the nine-year-old female child. He used his cellular telephone to record the sexual activity in the form of a video. Approximately one week later, an adult living in the home viewed the contents of the cellular telephone, confronted the child, and called the police to report the matter.

According to court records, Garrett fled the jurisdiction. However, Louisville Metro Police obtained a federal arrest warrant for Garrett, which was recorded in the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Law enforcement officials arrested Garrett on the outstanding warrant when he was stopped for a traffic violation in Toledo, Ohio.

Under the terms of the Plea Agreement, which called for a 22½ year term of imprisonment followed by a life term of Supervised Release, Garrett also pleaded guilty in Jefferson Circuit Court to sexually abusing a six-year-old child. The Jefferson Circuit Court case involved a different victim than the federal case. The state court sentence will run concurrently with the federal sentence.

Assistant United States Attorney Jo E. Lawless prosecuted the case. The Louisville Metro Police Department’s Crimes Against Children Unit, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, conducted the investigation as part of Kentucky’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

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."