NEWARK, N.J. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - New Jersey), published as received.

NEWARK, N.J. – A Texas man was sentenced in United States District Court to 25 years in prison in connection with the exploitation of a child and production of child pornography, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced today.

“Crimes against children strike at the heart of our communities, and the exploitation of a child is among the most disturbing crimes we encounter. This case is particularly egregious because it involved a man directing and commanding a mother to abuse her own four-year-old child and then capture those images in video recordings. Particularly troubling is the fact that this defendant was already a registered sex offender.  The children of our state deserve to be protected.  Our Office is committed to holding accountable anyone who exploits children, whether they abuse a child directly or direct others to do so.  Today’s sentence sends a clear message: Those who prey on children will be identified, prosecuted, and held fully accountable for the devastating harm they cause.”

- U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer

Russell Lynn Davis, Jr., 48, of Texas previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel in Camden federal court to conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, sexual exploitation of a child, and receipt of child pornography. Judge Kiel imposed the sentence today.

According to documents filed in these cases and statements made in Court:

Between June and August 2021, Davis received at least fourteen videos from a female based in New Jersey who engaged in sexual contact with her then-four-year-old child and then produced and sent those videos to Davis.  Law enforcement’s review of messages between Davis and the abuser revealed that Davis had directed and commanded the abuser in committing specific sexual acts against the child.  Davis is a registered sex offender.  

In addition to the prison term, Judge Kiel also sentenced Davis to 10 years supervised release.

U.S. Attorney Frazer credited FBI Newark’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Stefanie Roddy, with the investigation. 

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 the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) in the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The government is represented by Assistant United States Attorney Rachelle M. Navarro of the Criminal Division in Newark.

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Defense counsel: Anhtony Iacullo, Esq.