20 Year Prison Term Issued For Montana Online Predator

A 20 year sentence has been ordered for a Montana man who portrayed himself as a young teenage girl online. The court also ordered him to pay $842 in restitution.

35-year-old, Jeffrey Eugene Herbert, pleaded guilty to production of child pornography and possession of child pornography. An offense that will land him 20 years in prison followed by a life time of supervised release.

On top of using minor victims to produce the material for his personal enjoyment, Herbert also possessed and distributed child sexual abuse material.

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Herbert's current sentence stemmed from a 13-year-old's parents, who reside in NY, contacting law enforcement stating their daughter had been using a social media app where she was coerced to self-produce child sexual abuse material online.

Herbert attempted to receive more photos and videos from the victim by using threatening messages along with threats of sending the already received material to others.

Herbert identified himself online as "amberbaby 14141" to obtain the explicit material. When law enforcement went through Herbert's phone, they discovered a "hidden folder" that contained at least 22 other minor victims, who were listed by name. Among the findings, there were hundreds of videos, photos, and other disturbing materials from underage teens from around the country.

The investigation was assisted by the FBI and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.

Cases such as this are part of the Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood was put into place to help prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. Learn more about Project Safe Childhood HERE.

cc: Project Safe Childhood