Kenneth Elser, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that James Lee Hill, age 47, of Dayton, Tennessee, was sentenced today to 15 years in federal prison followed by 20 years of supervised release for attempted sexual exploitation of a minor.
U.S. District Court Judge Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in Fayetteville.
According to court records, in August 2016, the mother of a 17-year-old female reported that her daughter’s cellular phone and other personal property were stolen near Dayton, Tennessee.
Thereafter, the minor’s contacts, including other minors, began receiving obscene images and videos along with requests to engage in sexually explicit conduct.
Law enforcement was ultimately able to trace the stolen cellular phone to Berryville. Carroll County Sheriff’s deputies ultimately arrested Hill, who was found in possession of the stolen phone.
A federal grand jury indicted Hill in November 2016 for attempting to entice and coerce the 17-year-old minor to produce sexually explicit images of herself in exchange for the return of her stolen property.
Hill pleaded guilty in January 2017.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations, the Collier County Florida Sherriff’s Department, and the Carroll County Sherriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Roberts prosecuted the case for the United States.
