Ashton Man Sentenced to 12 and One Half Years in Prison for Distribution of Child Pornography

Acting United States Attorney Steven Russell announced that Jason Griess, 32, formerly of Ashton, Nebraska, was sentenced today in Lincoln, Nebraska, by United States District Judge John M. Gerrard for distribution of child pornography. Griess was sentenced to 12 1/2 years in prison and15 years of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Griess was additionally ordered to pay $6,000 which will contribute to funds established for victims of these types of cases.

From on or about August 10, 2019, until on or about August 16, 2019, an Online Covert Employee ("OCE") working with the FBI's child exploitation task force engaged in conversations with Griess. Griess tried to make arrangements with the OCE to travel to Utah where the OCE indicated he lived, to have intercourse with the OCE's fictitious 9-year-old daughter. Through the course of their conversation, Griess sent an image of child pornography to the OCE.

The FBI received search warrants for Griess's residence and devices. Griess consented to a voluntary interview where he confessed to distributing the image to the OCE and to saving and storing child pornography. Approximately 124 images of child pornography were found on his cellular phone. An additional 172 videos and 11 images were found on other accounts that belonged to Griess.

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 Attorney's 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.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.