project safe childhood
climax springs man sentenced to 20 years in prison for producing child porn, enticing a minor for sex
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Climax Springs, Mo., man who was arrested after he crashed during a car chase while fleeing from his victim’s mother was sentenced in federal court today for producing child pornography and enticing a minor for illicit sex.
Adam Hammond, 22, of Climax Springs, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard E. Dorr to 20 years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Hammond to pay $1,766 in restitution to his victim.
On Nov. 3, 2011, Hammond pleaded guilty to using a minor to produce child pornography. Hammond also admitted that he used the Internet and a cell phone to attempt to entice a minor to engage in illicit sex between Oct. 31 and Dec. 29, 2010.
Hammond, who met the victim when she was 11 years old through a social network site on the Internet, persuaded her to send him sexually explicit images of herself. On Dec. 29, 2010, Hammond traveled to her home and picked her up. The victim’s mother saw her leaving and pursued them in her own vehicle. Hammond lost control of his vehicle during the chase and crashed. The victim’s mother was then able to take the keys from the ignition; police officers arrived soon afterward and arrested Hammond.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Kelleher. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Polk County, Mo., Sheriff=s Department, the Camden County, Mo., Sheriff=s Department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations.
Project Safe Childhood
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 United States 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.
