GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Michigan, Western), published as received.

GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN – U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Timothy VerHey announced that Devonte Andrew Edwards, 26, of Kalamazoo, was sentenced to 360 months in prison for sexual exploitation of a child. During sentencing, Chief U.S. District Judge Hala Y. Jarbou emphasized the importance of protecting the public from Edwards, noting that Edwards himself had once told another person that he wanted to groom and assault children “for the rest of [his] life.”

U.S. Attorney Timothy VerHey said, “Devonte Edwards enjoyed finding children to sexually assault, enjoyed making recordings of his sexual assaults, and enjoyed bragging about it to his friends.  I doubt he will enjoy being in federal prison for the next 30 years, but that is exactly where he belongs.  Sexual predators take note: Keep your hands off of our kids or you will be found, prosecuted and sent to prison for a very long time.”   

Authorities began investigating Edwards in the spring of 2025 when Child Protective Services learned that a 13-year-old minor had run away from home with an adult male. Police used forensic examination software to gather evidence from the minor’s phone. The information they gleaned showed the minor had been located near Edwards’s residence during the time of her disappearance. A judge issued a warrant to search his home, and police executed the warrant, seizing Edwards’s electronic devices. On Edwards’s phone, investigators found pictures and videos that showed him sexually assaulting the 13-year-old. They also recovered messages between Edwards and other people with a sexual interest in children. In these messages, Edwards bragged about the sexual assaults that he recorded, stating, “The 13-year-old really made me want to do this for the rest of my life.”

Edwards was charged and detained in Kalamazoo County after the search of his dwelling. Later, a federal grand jury indicted Edwards, accusing him of sexually exploiting a child contrary to federal law. He pleaded guilty as charged on December 17, 2025.

“Anyone who exploits a child should expect to spend decades behind bars, and this 30-year sentence sends that message loud and clear,” said Jennifer Runyan, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Detroit Field Office. “Devonte Edwards admitted to manipulating social media platforms to target underaged girls, a calculated and disturbing abuse of technology. I sincerely thank my team from the FBI Kalamazoo Resident Agency for their exhaustive investigative work, alongside our partners from the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. Parents should remain vigilant, as many apps allow interaction with strangers and can expose children to serious risks. FBI Detroit will continue to pursue those who prey on our children and work to safeguard our communities from predators.”    

“This conviction sends a clear message: when local and federal partners work together, we can hold offenders fully accountable,” said David Boysen, Chief of the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety. “These cases are complex and often cross jurisdictions, but our collaboration allowed us to build a strong case that led to a significant sentence. Protecting children is our highest priority, and we will continue to pursue these crimes relentlessly.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety investigated this case, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan Roth and Austin Hakes prosecuted it.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.