DETROIT – A registered sex offender living in Dearborn who sought and obtained a sexually explicit image from a minor was sentenced to fifteen years in Federal prison for sexual exploitation of children, announced United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison.
Ison was joined in the announcement by James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Anthony John-Hamernik Girard, 32, of Dearborn, Michigan, was sentenced by United States District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith. Girard admitted that, while online, he requested that a 16-year-old minor create and send him an image of the minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and that he received a sexually explicit image from the same minor. In that same chat, he told the 16-year-old that he “kinda” wished that she was younger.
Police in Perrysburg, Ohio investigated Girard after he began sending sexually explicit messages to a minor Girard believed was a 14-year-old girl but was actually an undercover police officer. From this investigation, law enforcement discovered that Girard had other contacts with minors, including telling a 13-year-old that she was “beautiful” before she told him that she wanted no further contact with him.
“A prior conviction that resulted in a designation as a sex offender did not prevent this offender from lurking online and exploiting a minor. This sentence demonstrates that recidivist offenders who engage in online exploitation will receive significant penalties to keep our children safe.” U.S. Attorney Ison stated.
“Sexual exploitation is one of the most depraved crimes committed, and this case is especially disturbing because the defendant engaged in this behavior following a conviction that put him on the sex registry,” said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office. “The FBI will continue to work tirelessly to protect the most vulnerable members of our community from harm and exploitation.”
This case was investigated by the Southeast Michigan Trafficking and Exploitation Crimes Task Force of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Perrysburg Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Rawsthorne and Lisandra Fernandez-Silber.