Previously convicted Missouri sex offender sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a minor

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A previously convicted sex offender from southwestern Missouri, who pretended to be a woman online to solicit sexually explicit photos from a teenage boy, was sentenced in federal court Thursday to 25 years in prison.

This sentence resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations, the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force and the Monett (Missouri) Police Department.

Jeffrey Raymond Everett Jr., 23, of Reeds Spring, Missouri, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 25 years in federal prison without parole. The court also sentenced Everett to spend the rest of his life under supervised release after he completes his prison sentence.

On Feb. 1, 2018, Everett pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting a minor. Everett also has a prior state conviction for possessing child pornography.

According to court documents, another student turned in the 16-year-old child victim’s cellphone at school because he found nude photos of the victim on the phone. Investigators found Facebook Messenger conversations between the victim and “Alecia Valentine,” who was later determined to be Everett.

In those messages, Everett – pretending to be Alecia Valentine – asks for sexually explicit images and videos of the victim, who sent numerous sexually explicit images and videos to Everett. The victim told law enforcement officers that he had engaged in several chat sessions with Alecia Valentine. Everett sent him pictures of a nude female, purportedly of Alecia Valentine, and requested that he send sexual pictures and videos of himself in return, which he did.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller, Western District of Missouri.

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 16,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2016, more than 2,600 child predators were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 800 victims identified or rescued.

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. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

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.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page. HSI is a founding member of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.