Fayetteville Man Sentenced to 76 Months in Federal Prison for Child Pornography Offense

            Fayetteville, Arkansas - Kenneth Elser, United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Markice Jasper, age 38, of Fayetteville, Arkansas, was sentenced to 76 months imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $6,900.00 fine for Receipt of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place before the Honorable Timothy L. Brooks in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.  

            According to court records, in February, 2015, Homeland Security Investigations and the Northwest Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce received a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reporting that an image of child pornography was uploaded by a Fayetteville resident onto the social media website Instagram. Consequently, law enforcement was able to execute a federal search warrant on the specific residence from which the image was uploaded. While at the residence, law enforcement encountered Markice Jasper, who admitted to downloading and viewing child pornography via the internet. At that time, numerous items of digital evidence including computers and hard drives were confiscated. A subsequent forensic examination of the digital devices revealed hundreds of videos and images of child pornography. Jasper was indicted by a federal grand jury on October 28, 2015 and pleaded guilty on December 15, 2015.   

            "This investigation highlights the continued successful partnership between ICE Homeland Security Investigations and the River Valley and Northwest Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force," said Raymond R. Parmer Jr. special agent in charge of HSI New Orleans.  "Identifying and investigating those who prey on innocent children via the Internet will continue to be one of HSI's highest priorities."

            This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Northwest Arkansas Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce.  Assistant United States Attorney Dustin Roberts prosecuted the case for the United States.

            The 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 their Criminal Division Child Exploitation and Obscenity Sections (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.

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Related court documents may be found on Public Access to Electronic Records Website @www.Pacer.gov