Claremore man sentenced to 10 years in prison for child pornography crimes

A man from Claremore, Oklahoma found to be downloading, distributing and viewing child pornography by law enforcement was sentenced in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Jeremy Aaron Mills, 28, was sentenced to 120 months in prison for possession of child pornography and receipt and distribution of child pornography. Following his prison term, he will spend ten years on supervised release.

As required by the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistant Act of 2018, Mills was further ordered to pay restitution in the total amount of $23,000 to seven identified victims depicted in the child sexual abuse material.

“The producers of child pornography are sexually assaulting and abusing children, and individuals, like Mills, further traumatize and exploit these victims every time they download, view, and share this horrific material,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “It takes dedicated men and women in the law enforcement community to seek out, investigate and bring these criminals to justice. It is difficult but necessary work. I want to thank them for protecting the most vulnerable members of our society.”

“The conclusion of this investigation and subsequent sentence should send a stern message to all child predators. HSI will not relent in catching the predators who produce, distribute and view child sexual abuse materials and hold them accountable for their actions,” said Robert Melton, Assistant Special in Charge of the HSI Dallas – Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle Division. “We will use every resource available to ensure those involved in the sexual exploitation of children will not go unpunished while also providing victim services to those abused by these crimes.”

From June 6, 2021, to Oct. 1, 2021, Tulsa Police Cyber Crimes detectives found that an IP address connected to Mills had downloaded multiple files of child sexual abuse material using peer-to-peer software.

During the search of his residence, investigators located a Samsung cellphone in Mill’s bedroom, which Mills confirmed was his own. On the phone, investigators located numerous images of child sexual abuse material, with at least ten videos depicting toddlers and prepubescent females and males being sexually abused.

Mills was interviewed at the scene and admitted to downloading child pornography as recently as the previous night. Further, he admitted that he conducted searches using terms associated with child pornography. He also stated that he watched hundreds of videos of children between the ages of 14 and 18 and approximately 50 of children younger than 14 years old engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

In his plea agreement, Mills again admitted to possessing and viewing the child sexual abuse material and to receiving and distributing the visual depictions using internet file sharing programs, which caused the depictions to travel in interstate and foreign commerce.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Tulsa Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, Claremore Police Department, and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Paisner prosecuted the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.