A Rhode Island sex offender was sentenced to 25 years in prison for federal offenses involving the enticement and sexual exploitation of minors and distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Jeremy Barton, 46, was previously convicted in state court for sexually assaulting minors and was a registered sex offender at the time he committed the federal offenses, according to a media release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The release said court document showed "Barton used multiple social media and messaging platforms to contact and lure minor boys, often by disguising his identity by impersonating young females."
"He engaged in persistent efforts to entice the children to record themselves engaging in sexually explicit conduct," according to the release.
"He enticed them to send him pictures and videos of that conduct and later distributed the (child sexual abuse material) to members of online chatrooms hosted on an encrypted app," the release said. "As the administrator of several of those chatrooms, Barton actively participated in online communities dedicated to the exploitation of children."
A search of Barton's home turned up numerous child sexual abuse material images and videos on Barton's digital devices, according to the release.
"Barton repeatedly used online platforms to target and exploit children, despite a prior conviction and court supervision," First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles C. Calenda said in the release.
"His conduct was deliberate, predatory, and persistent," Calenda said.
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