Mesa man sentenced to 24 years in prison in child sexual abuse material case

PHOENIX – A Mesa man was sentenced last week to 24 years in federal prison after an undercover child sexual abuse material investigation, authorities said.

Jeremy Carson Lamb, 39, spent two weeks in 2019 trying to lure a person he believed to be 14 years old but was actually an undercover agent, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona said in a press release Thursday.

How did investigators catch child sexual abuse suspect?

“This defendant has no respect for laws and boundaries,” said U.S. Attorney Gary Restaino said in a press release. “When an undercover law enforcement officer posted an online profile pretending to be a young girl, the defendant engaged in a two-week effort to entice, induce and lure.”

Prosecutors say Lamb tried to obtain sexually explicit images from the “victim” and traveled from the Valley to Sierra Vista in southern Arizona with the intention of engaging in sexual conduct.

He was found in possession of videos and images depicting the sexual abuse of children as young as 1 year old. Investigators also determined he previously distributed child exploitation files to others.

What charge did Mesa man plead guilty to?

Lamb’s recent sentencing came after he pleaded guilty June 13 to one count of attempted production of child pornography. After serving his prison term, he will have to register as a sex offender and spend the rest of his life on supervised release.

The Homeland Security Investigations office in Douglas, Arizona conducted the investigation as part of the nationwide Project Safe Childhood initiative.

“Predatory behavior will not be tolerated by HSI,” Scott Brown, special agent in charge for HSI Arizona, said in the release. “The defendant in this case will spend the next 24 years in prison giving him ample opportunity to think about his actions.

“Let this case demonstrate HSI’s unwavering commitment to protect children and apprehend predators to then face justice.”

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