Gibson County Man Sentenced to Over 15 Years in Federal Prison for Child Pornography Offenses

Jackson, TN - Jason Daniel Smith, 33, of Gibson County, has been sentenced to 188 months in federal prison after being convicted of possessing and distributing child sex abuse materials on two separate occasions, once in 2019 and again in 2023. Kevin G. Ritz, United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee announced the sentence today.

According to information presented in court, on March 13, 2019, Smith used a filesharing program to distribute more than 150 files of child sex abuse material to an undercover police officer in Indiana. After determining Smith's address in Milan, TN, the Indiana officers collaborated with the Gibson County Sheriff's Office, which executed a search warrant at Smith's residence and discovered more than 20,000 videos and images of child pornography. Smith was arrested and charged with child pornography crimes in Gibson County Circuit Court.

On January 24, 2023, while the Gibson County case was pending, Smith again used a filesharing program to distribute more than 100 files of child sex abuse materials, this time to an agent with the Memphis FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force. The FBI, in collaboration with the Gibson County Sheriff's Office, executed another search warrant at Smith's residence and discovered more than 10,000 images and videos of child pornography.

In July 2023, a federal grand jury returned a four-count indictment charging Smith with distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography on each occasion, and in February 2024, Smith pled guilty to the offenses.

On July 29, 2024, United States District Court Judge S. Thomas Anderson sentenced Smith to 188 months imprisonment, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Smith must also register as a sex offender in any state in which he lives, works, or attends school.

This case was investigated by the Michigan City Police Department in Indiana, the Gibson County Sheriff's Office, and the Memphis FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force.

United States Attorney Kevin Ritz thanked Assistant United States Attorney Lauren Delery, who prosecuted this case, as well as law enforcement partners who investigated the case.

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