Repeat Sex Offender Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Online Enticement of Minors

FORT SMITH - A Van Buren man was sentenced to 240 months in federal prison to be followed by lifetime supervised release after being convicted for Online Enticement of a Minor in violation of federal law. The Honorable John Thomas Shepherd presided over the October 5, 2026, sentencing hearing, which was held in the U.S. District Court in Fort Smith.

According to court documents, Brian Fay Jeremiah, age 66, a twice-convicted sex offender, messaged an online covert employee with the Federal Bureau of Investigation who was posing as a fourteen-year-old female. During the online conversations, Jeremiah asked the purported fourteen-year-old to create and send him sexually explicit images and to engage in sexually explicit video chats with him. Jeremiah was previously convicted and served prison time for similar offenses in the Western District of Arkansas in 2003 and in Colorado in 2015. Jeremiah was indicted by a Grand Jury in the Western District of Arkansas in December of 2025 and entered a plea of guilty in May of 2026.

"This sentence underscores our unwavering commitment to protecting children from those who repeatedly seek to exploit them," United States Attorney Kevin R. Holmes of the Western District of Arkansas said in making the announcement. "The defendant's conduct represents a grave and ongoing threat, and our office will not hesitate to use every tool available to remove offenders like him from our communities. We will continue working with our state, local and federal partners to ensure that those who target our children face swift and uncompromising justice," Holmes added. Assistant United States Attorney Devon Still prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

"Protecting the children of Arkansas is one of the FBI's highest priorities, and we remain committed to working alongside our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to hold those who target children accountable for their crimes," said FBI Little Rock Special Agent in Charge Jason Van Goor. "Predators who seek to exploit our children have no place in our communities, and we will use every resource available to identify these offenders and bring them to justice."

The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Van Buren Police Department, and the Arkansas State Police investigated the case.

This case was prosecuted 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.

Related court documents may be found on the Public Access to Electronic Records website at www.pacer.govLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..