INDIANAPOLIS – Lance Parsons, 47, of Randolph County, Indiana, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to distribution and receipt of child sexual abuse material.
According to court documents, in March 2020, the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office began investigating Parsons alleged sexual assault of a child. During the investigation, law enforcement officers learned there was an outstanding warrant for Parsons arrest stemming from a child support case. On March 16, 2020, Parsons was arrested, and his smartphone seized. Law enforcement officers obtained a warrant to search for evidence of child exploitation offenses.
A forensic examination of Parsons’ smartphone revealed that Parsons engaged in messaging with other persons about child sexual abuse. Parsons’ smartphone also contained hundreds of photos and multiple videos of prepubescent children engaged in sexual activity with adults and other children. Parsons used the Kik Messenger and Mega applications to receive and distribute the visual depictions of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The child sexual abuse material distributed, received, and possessed by Parsons included visual depictions of children being subjected to sadistic or masochistic conduct, or other depictions of violence, and of infants or toddlers being made to engage in sexually explicit conduct.
At his sentencing hearing, the judge found that Parsons had engaged in a pattern of activity involving the sexual abuse or exploitation of children, and in 2017, Parsons was convicted of attempted sexual misconduct with a minor in Randolph County.
Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, Jeffrey R. Adams, Special Agent in Charge of the USSS Indianapolis Field Office, and Art L. Moystner, Sheriff Randolph County made the announcement.
United States Secret Service and the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. The Randolph County Prosecutor’s Office and Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department provided valuable assistance. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge James Patrick Hanlon. As part of the sentence, Judge Hanlon ordered that Parsons be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for life following his release from federal prison. Parsons was also ordered to pay $10,000 in restitution to his minor victim and must register as sex offender wherever he lives, works, or goes to school, as required by law.
U.S. Attorney Myers thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina M. Korobov who prosecuted 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