CONCORD – Jason Ellis, 45, of Derry was sentenced to 132 months in federal prison for possession of child sexual abuse material and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, United States Attorney Jane E. Young announced today.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Ellis engaged in sexually graphic online conversations with numerous individuals, some of whom appeared to be minors as young as 14 years old. Several of these chats included Ellis soliciting and receiving nude images from apparent minors. Ellis also sent images of his own genitalia to apparent minors. One of the individuals that Ellis was corresponding with online was actually an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a 13-year-old girl. Ellis corresponded with the undercover and expressed his desire to meet her for sexual contact. His chats with the undercover took place over several months and included explicit discussions about sexual acts. Portions of these conversations, as well as the online accounts Ellis had used to communicate with the undercover, were later found on Ellis’ phone during the execution of a search warrant. Also found on Ellis’ phone were over 100 images of child sexual abuse material.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Derry Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kasey A. Weiland.
In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices, 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 identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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