Jordan Anthony Hughes, 25, of Sacramento, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to producing child sexual abuse material. He will also be subject to a lifetime of supervised release after completing his prison term, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Hughes's actions started no later than 2017 and involved a pattern of abuse. He used a child under the age of 12 to engage in sexually explicit behavior in order to create photographic and video depictions, physically abused the minor, and created a cache of those cruel moments captured in images and videos. His predatory reach also spread online, as he tricked other minors into sending him self-exploitative material by pretending to be an underage boy himself. While distributing the materials, he allegedly played the role of a perverse guide, instructing the minors in sexual acts.
Hughes was sentenced after an investigation by the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, with help from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea J. Kenny led the prosecution. The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice program started in May 2006 to address child exploitation. More information is available at www.usdoj.gov/psc, as stated by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
