Pennsylvania couple indicted for producing and possessing sexually explicit images of minors

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – A married couple from Clearfield, Pennsylvania, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of production and possession of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Pittsburgh and Clearfield Borough Police Department.

The five-count indictment, returned May 19, named Jackson Curtis Martin, III, 44, and Amanda Michelle Downs, 28.

According to the indictment presented to the court, from December 2018, to Sept. 1, 2019, Martin and Downs produced images of a minor female engaged in sexually explicit conduct using materials that were shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce. Further, from Jan. 8, 2019, to Nov. 24, 2019, Martin and Downs possessed images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, which were produced using prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The computer graphic files were shipped or transported in interstate or foreign commerce.

The law provides for a maximum sentence of not less than 30 years and up to 80 years in prison, a fine of $1,000,000, or both for Martin, and a maximum sentence of not less than 30 years and up to 40 years in prison, a fine of $750,000, or both for Downs. Under the federal sentencing guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.

Assistant United States Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 19,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child exploitation material, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.