Springfield, Ill. – U.S. District Court Judge Jeanne E. Scott today sentenced Jacob A. Armes, 26, of Raymond, Illinois, to serve 151 months (12 years, 7 months) in federal prison. Armes previously pled guilty, on Jan. 4, 2010, to one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography, and was remanded to law enforcement custody. In addition to the prison sentence, Armes was ordered to serve a life term of supervised release and was ordered to forfeit computer equipment used in the crime. Armes will also have to register as a sex offender.

The investigation was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Springfield Police Department.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.