indicted on child pornography charges – Shoals Insider

MAN ARRESTED ON CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CHARGES

Tracie — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 23:01:59 +0000

Authorities have arrested a Lauderdale county man after he was indicted by a grand jury on five counts of possession of child pornography.

According to court documents, Hunter Cole Borden, 25, of County Road 277 in Florence, was arrested last Thursday and booked into the Lauderdale County detention center.

Borden reportedly downloaded images of minors less than 17 years of age on an electronic device. This according to Florence Police.

Borden was released on the same day that he was arrested after posting a $75,000 bond. He is set to be arraigned on April 4 before circuit judge Ben Graves.

Former Church Staff Member Sentenced to 50 years in Prison for Child Sexual Exploitation and Possessing Child Pornography

Staff — Wed, 31 Aug 2016 17:16:07 +0000

BIRMINGHAM – A federal judge Tuesday sentenced a Shelby County man and former church staff member to 50 years in prison for sexually abusing a seven-year-old child and possessing child pornography in 2013, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and FBI Special Agent in Charge Roger C. Stanton.
U.S. District Judge L. Scott Coogler sentenced JASON MICHAEL HANKINS, 35, to 30 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a child, plus 20 more years for possessing child pornography. The judge also ordered Hankins to remain on supervised release for the rest of his life after completing his prison sentence. Hankins pleaded guilty to the charges in January.

Hankins had worked at Shades Crest Baptist Church in Hoover as part of the Family Life Center staff, assisting in the planning and coordinating of recreational activities. Hankins found his young victim by seeking out a single mother on a Christian dating website.
The government, in its sentencing memorandum to the court, recommended a 50-year prison sentence in the case. Such a sentence is reasonable, the government argued, because Hankins “targeted the victim, engaged in a repeated pattern, lasting the entire time he had access to the child, of sexual exploitation of a very young child …” Not only did Hankins sexually abuse the child, but he used his cell phone to memorialize the child’s nightmare, the government said.

The seven-year-old child was not Hankins’ only victim, as he possessed more than 100 videos and more than 1,000 images of child pornography, including a video of a man raping a toddler, according to the sentencing memorandum.
The FBI investigated the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn Hutzell prosecuted.

Cullman County Man Indicted For Producing Child Pornography Involving Multiple Victims

Staff — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 22:14:15 +0000

Gregory Jerome Lee (ALDOC)

BIRMINGHAM – A federal grand jury today indicted a Cullman County man, on charges related to the production of child pornography involving four minor victims, announced U.S. Attorney Joyce White Vance and Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division.

GREGORY JEROME LEE, 53, was indicted on four counts of production of child pornography, one count of conspiracy to advertise child pornography and one count of conspiracy to distribute and receive child pornography.

According to the indictment, from September 1996 through December 2004, Lee used, persuaded, coerced and enticed minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct in order to produce images of that conduct. Between September 1996 and August 2007, Lee conspired with other individuals to distribute and receive child pornography through a variety of means, including the Internet.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacquelyn Hutzell and Trial Attorney Amy E. Larson of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section are prosecuting the case.

The charges and allegations contained in an indictment are merely accusations. The defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. Members of the public who may have information related to this matter should call the USPIS Birmingham Office at (205) 326-2909.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.justice.gov/psc.