Federal Jury in Louisville Finds Repeat Sex Offender Guilty of Possession of Child Pornography

Louisville, KY - Yesterday a federal jury convicted a Louisville man of one count of possession of child pornography after a two-day jury trial.

U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky and Special Agent in Charge Robert Holman of the United States Secret Servicemade the announcement.

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, during a home visit on September 1, 2022, by a United States Probation Officer, Jason Florence, age 49, possessed an unauthorized and unmonitored cellular telephone that contained images and videos of child pornography. At the time of the home visit, Florence was on supervised release for a prior conviction of attempt to transport child pornography and possession of child pornography in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky in 2015.

Florence is scheduled for sentencing on November 19, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The Court ordered Florence remain detained pending sentencing. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.

There is no parole in the federal system.

The United States Secret Service is investigating the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys A. Spencer McKiness and Danielle Yannelli are prosecuting the case, with assistance from paralegal Julie Mason.

This case was brought as part of 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. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."

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