An Anderson, Indiana couple has been sentenced to a total of 75 years in federal prison for the horrific crime of sexually exploiting an infant; Jamie M. Powell, also known as Jamie Cramer, received a 25-year sentence, while her boyfriend Richard Smith faces 50 years behind bars, as per the U.S. Department of Justice announcement. Following Powell's guilty plea to conspiracy to commit the sexual exploitation of a minor, actual and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor; she is also mandated a lifetime of supervised release and must pay a restitution of $10,000, whereas Smith, who pled guilty to the same conspiracy charge along with possession of child sexual abuse material, has his federal sentence set to run consecutively to his state convictions, which include drug-related offenses and battery against a public safety officer.
Court documents revealed a chilling scenario where Powell, who is a mother of five, including the victim aged between one and two, engaged in explicit text messages with Smith that outlined a perverse interest in her children and bestiality while ignoring the danger lurking behind her loss of parental rights by the Department of Child Services, and the fact that her youngest children were in the custody of DCS; Powell and Smith concocted a plan for Powell to abuse her child during what should have been supervised visitations, creating explicit materials to satisfy Smith's illicit desires, and in total, Powell produced 577 images and videos of child sexual abuse during over 25 visits, sharing many of them with Smith, adding a vile layer of betrayal to an already inconceivable act of abuse. The investigation, led by the Indiana State Police with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service and others, unearthed over 2,400 image files of child sex abuse material and approximately 170 video files of bestiality on Powell's cell phone, plus more than 5,000 images and videos on Smith's device.
The gravity of their actions was underscored by the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, John E. Childress, who labeled such offenders as "monstrous" for preying on children, especially those who were too young to walk or speak; these sentiments also echoed in the tone of Special Agent in Charge Ike Barnes, of the Indianapolis Field Office, who stressed the Secret Service's dedication to standing up for defenseless victims and commended the effort of various agencies who collaborated to ensure the couple faced justice. Both Childress and Barnes expressed their commitment to prioritizing the safety and well-being of young children at risk from such abhorrent exploitation.
The successful prosecution was due in large part to the diligent efforts of Assistant United States Attorney Tiffany Preston, whose dedication to securing justice for the victim was praised by law enforcement officials and reinforced the message that heinous acts against children will encounter the full force of the justice system.
