A Henry County man is facing a barrage of child pornography charges after being indicted by a federal grand jury in Jackson, Tennessee. The indictment against 22-year-old Levi Edward Hamilton, of Mansfield, details a disturbing spree of alleged criminal activity involving the solicitation of lewd images and videos from minors using the internet and social media platforms.
In an announcement from the Western District of Tennessee, United States Attorney Kevin G. Ritz laid out the charges, which include five counts each of child pornography production, coercion and enticement of a minor, and receipt of child pornography, along with three counts of transferring obscene matter to a minor and one count of possession of the despicable material. Convicted upon all counts, Hamilton is, he could be sentenced to life in prison.
This case, which is still pending before the United States District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson in Jackson, serves as a grim reminder of the pervasive dangers lurking online. The FBI Memphis Child Exploitation Task Force, together with the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, pieced together the case against Hamilton and now, plead with the public to come forward with any additional information. Special Agent Eric McCraw or Lieutenant David Andrews have been designated as the contacts for this ongoing investigation.
The case's outcome now rests in the hands of Judge Anderson, who will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines among other statutory factors if Hamilton is proven guilty in this landmark case.
