Registered sex offender sentenced to 25 years for directing exploitation of 4-year-old New Jersey child
NEW JERSEY — A Texas man who admitted directing the sexual exploitation of a 4-year-old New Jersey child and receiving videos of the abuse has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison, U.S. Attorney Robert Frazer announced.
Russell Lynn Davis Jr., 48, of Texas, previously pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Camden to conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, sexual exploitation of a child and receipt of child sexual abuse material. U.S. District Judge Edward S. Kiel imposed the sentence.
“Crimes against children strike at the heart of our communities, and the exploitation of a child is among the most disturbing crimes we encounter. This case is particularly egregious because it involved a man directing and commanding a mother to abuse her own four-year-old child and then capture those images in video recordings. Particularly troubling is the fact that this defendant was already a registered sex offender. The children of our state deserve to be protected. Our Office is committed to holding accountable anyone who exploits children, whether they abuse a child directly or direct others to do so. Today’s sentence sends a clear message: Those who prey on children will be identified, prosecuted, and held fully accountable for the devastating harm they cause,” Frazer said.
According to court documents and statements made in court, Davis received at least 14 videos between June and August 2021 from a New Jersey woman who sexually abused her then-4-year-old child and recorded the assaults.
Investigators said messages reviewed by law enforcement showed Davis directed and instructed the woman to commit specific sexual acts against the child before she recorded and sent the videos to him.
Authorities said Davis was already a registered sex offender at the time of the offenses.
In addition to the 25-year prison sentence, Judge Kiel ordered Davis to serve 10 years of supervised release following his incarceration.
The case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative that coordinates federal, state and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child sexual exploitation offenses and identify victims.
