Sacramento Man Charged with Production, Distribution, and Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - A federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment today against Jordan Hughes, 24, of Sacramento, charging him with production, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court documents, between February and September 2022, Hughes convinced at least two underage victims to send him images and videos depicting themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Hughes also distributed images of child sexual abuse conduct, and, in November 2022, possessed child sexual abuse material, including images of at least four underage victims engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit of the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, which includes the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department as well as Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shea J. Kenny is prosecuting the case.

If convicted, Hughes faces a maximum statutory penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of production of child sexual abuse material. Any sentence, however, would be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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 U.S. 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 those 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.