INDIANAPOLIS – Darren Farris, 46, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to failing to register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, on December 20, 2013, Farris was convicted of aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a minor, in Lasalle County in Ottawa, Illinois. As a result, Farris was required to register as a sex offender for life under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
On or about July 14, 2019, Farris traveled from Tampa, Florida to Indianapolis via Greyhound bus. Between July 14, 2019, and February 5, 2021, Farris resided in Indianapolis, but knowingly failed to register as a sex offender.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, and Joseph “Dan” McClain, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Indiana, made the announcement.
The U.S. Marshals Service investigated the case. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon. As part of the sentence, Judge Hanlon ordered that Farris be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for 10 years following his release from federal prison. Farris must also register as sex offender wherever he lives, works, or goes to school, as required by law.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant United States Attorney Tiffany J. Preston, who is prosecuting this case.
In fiscal year 2019, the most recent year for which data is available, the Southern District of Indiana was second out of the 94 federal districts in the country for the number of child sexual exploitation cases prosecuted.
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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.