Cartersville Child Pornographer Gets 30 Years in Prison

Staff Report

Cartersville resident Joshua James Geer has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for child pornography production, coercion of minors to engage in unlawful sex acts and possession of child pornography, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a press release.

Geer, 22, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, to be followed by supervised release for life. He must also register as a sex offender as a condition of his supervised release. Geer pleaded guilty on May 22, 2014.

“This defendant coerced children into engaging in sexual activity and forced them to send him photos of that activity,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “He is the type of predatory monster parents fear when their children are on the internet. He deserves every day of the sentence the court imposed.”

Yates stated the charges, and other information presented in court: on or about February 18, 2013, Geer contacted N.B., a 17-year-old boy living in Illinois, through an online communication service. Initially, Geer befriended the boy during their online chats. But then Geer coerced N.B. to use a cell phone to take photographs of himself and his 11-year-old sister engaged in graphic sex acts.

Geer threatened to expose N.B. to others if the boy refused to send the images to Geer; so N.B. transmitted the images to Geer using an iPod computer device. Investigators identified Geer through his chats with N.B., which revealed Geer’s telephone number.

Several months later, on June 20, 2013, Pinellas County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office detective Jennifer Zinge received a complaint made by V.O., a 16 year old girl. V.O. told Zinge that on June 19, 2013, she began chatting online with a person who initially identified himself as a girl using the online profile “TNT.” Federal agents subsequently identified “TNT” as Geer.

During their online exchanges, Geer sent V.O. a photograph of what appeared to be a four-year-ild girl. The photograph depicted the child nude above her waist. V.O. then attempted to end her online chats with Geer.

But when V.O. tried to terminate her contact with Geer, he sent a text message to V.O. in which he claimed that V.O. was in possession of child pornography.

“ In his message, Geer stated that if V.O. did not comply with his demands that he would report her to the police,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said,” adding Greer forced V.O. to send him nude photographs of herself using her cell phone. “

The photographs depict V.O.’s pubic area and V.O. posed in various lascivious positions under Geer’s written instructions.

Investigators were able to identify Geer as the person corresponding with V.O. using an internet account, as well as his cell phone number. FBI agents in Atlanta learned Geer had used the same telephone number to contact and demand pornographic images from N.B., the boy in Illinois.

On June 20, 2013, FBI agents obtained an arrest warrant for Geer, as well as a warrant to search his Cartersville home. Federal agents seized an iPhone from Geer at the time of his arrest. An examination of the device revealed that it contained more than 300 images of child pornography, including graphic images depicting infants.

“ Additionally, federal agents discovered more instances of Geer coercing minors to produce child pornography that he forced the victims to send him via the Internet, and that he distributed to others online,” the office stated.

During a search of Geer’s closet, federal agents also found a handwritten note detailing how to commit a rape, along with various items bearing the description, “kidnapping kit.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and assistant United States Attorney Richard S. Moultrie, Jr. prosecuted the case.