Wilson County man sentenced to 17 years for child exploitation
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A Mt. Juliet man will spend more than 17 years in federal prison after being sentenced for child exploitation charges, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
Jonathon Ladd, 30, was sentenced to 210 months in prison for the production, transportation and distribution of child pornography, of which he was convicted in 2023. That sentence will be followed by 10 years of supervised release, according to the DOJ.
Ladd was accused of sending an inappropriate video of a 6-year-old girl to a chat room. Metro police reported an out-of-state undercover FBI agent monitored the chat and alerted Metro police.
Ladd was indicted by a grand jury in 2021 on one count of production of child pornography, one count of transportation of child pornography, and one count of distribution of child pornography. He pleaded guilty to all counts Sept. 30, 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Tennessee said.
CRIME TRACKER | Read the latest crime news from Middle Tennessee
“Protecting children will always be a top priority for the Justice Department,” said U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis. “In this case, as a result of the excellent work done by law enforcement and members of our office, the defendant will spend the next 17 years in federal prison and far away from children.”
“This sentencing is a prime example of the joint efforts in which HSI works with our law enforcement partners to rescue children who are being sexually exploited,” said HSI Nashville Special Agent in Charge Rana Saoud. “Let this be a warning to anyone who engages in the abhorrent behavior of producing and distributing child sexual assault material. Our investigators work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to deliver justice to those who would harm our children.”
Homeland Security Investigations; the FBI Memphis Field Office, Nashville Resident Agency; and the Metro Nashville Police Department investigated this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carrie Daughtrey prosecuted the case.
⏩ Read today’s top stories on wkrn.com
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Justice Department, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WKRN News 2.
