Somerset Man Sentenced for Producing of Child Sexual Abuse Material

LONDON, Ky. - On November 4, a Somerset, Ky., man, Jesus Chavez, 33, was sentenced to 32 years of imprisonment by U.S. District Judge Robert E. Wier; Chavez previously pleaded guilty to two counts of Production of Child Pornography.

According to his plea agreement, in October and November 2022, Chavez used a hidden camera to film himself engaging in sex acts with a minor victim. Chavez utilized a covert recording device that was paired with his Apple iPhone to produce the recordings.

Jason Parman, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky, and Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office, and Sheriff Bobby Jones, Pulaski County Sheriff's Department, jointly announced the sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Pulaski County Sheriff's Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Blankenship prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

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 Justice.gov/PSC.

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