Source: Office of United States Attorneys
Jacksonville, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the return of an indictment charging Jack Dymond Leach (43, St. Augustine) with one count of attempted production of child sexual abuse materials, two counts of receipt of child sexual abuse materials, and one count of possession of child sexual abuse materials. If convicted of the attempted production offense, Leach faces a minimum of 15 years, up to 30 years, in federal prison. For each receipt and possession offense, Leach faces a minimum of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison.
According to court documents, Leach engaged in conversations on an online chat platform during which he paid money to receive child sex abuse images. An investigation into the account resulted in Leach being identified. Federal search warrants were executed at Leach’s home and business in St. Augustine where law enforcement seized numerous electronic devices. A forensic examination of the devices reveled child sexual abuse material.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.
It is another case 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.justice.gov/psc.