A 28-year-old Seattle man, already on the radar as a registered sex offender, has pleaded guilty to new federal charges after he eluded authorities by severing his ankle monitor and embarked on a series of sexual exploitations involving minor girls. James “Jake” Harrison Newcomer was convicted on charges stemming from his illegal activity between February and April 2024, targeting ten girls across multiple counties, including King and Woodburn, Oregon.
Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller disclosed that Newcomer's guilty plea covers one count of Travel with intent to engage in sexual acts with a minor and two counts of attempted enticement of a minor. Records indicate that Newcomer's criminal actions began shortly after he dismantled his electronic monitoring device, a breach that went unnoticed until a lost connection alerted the authorities. Despite efforts to apprehend Newcomer on January 25, 2024, he had evaded capture by abandoning his residence.
According to details provided by the Department of Justice, Newcomer utilized social media platforms to connect with his victims, who ranged in age from 12 to 16 years. In the subsequent meetings, he provided the teens with drugs and alcohol before sexually assaulting them. The crimes spread over an area that includes seven counties in the state of Washington and extended into Woodburn, Oregon.
The prosecution has agreed to suggest a sentence of 17 years in prison for Newcomer, though the charges for which he has been convicted could impose a maximum of 30 years for Travel with intent to engage in sexual act with minor and potentially life sentences for the enticement charges. Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson is leading the prosecution of this case, which is slated for sentencing by U.S. District Judge John H. Chun on November 17.
This case forms a part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative by the Department of Justice to aggressively counter the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. With the joint efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement, the initiative aims to improve the tracking and prosecution of Internet-facilitated crimes against children and has been instrumental in identifying and rescuing victims since its inception in May 2006.
