JANUARY 2023:
U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Howard man convicted of Production of Child Pornography.
Lee James Thames, age 26, was sentenced to 26 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
The conviction stemmed from incidents between March 16, 2021, and April 29, 2021, when Thames intentionally used his cellular phone to take sexually explicit photographs and videos of a minor female, who had not attained the age of 12 years, and saved them to his Snapchat Memories account.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
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 the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
JANUARY 2022:
A 26 year old Howard man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Production of Child Pornography.
Lee James Thames pled not guilty.
The Indictment alleges that between on or about March 16, 2021, and April 29, 2021, Thames knowingly employed, used, persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct, knowing that such depictions would be transported in interstate or foreign commerce or mailed, and such visual depictions would be produced using materials that had been mailed, shipped, and transported in interstate and foreign commerce, including by computer.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 30 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, life of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper is prosecuting the case.
Thames was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial which has been set for March 22, 2022.
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