Washington state child pornographer sentenced to 25 years

TACOMA, Wash. – A Kelso man who took sexually explicit photos of an 11-year-old girl and shared them on the Internet was sentenced Friday to 25 years in prison, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Kelso Police Department.

Jonathan Scott Lee, 38, was arrested in October 2012 after sharing child pornography with an undercover investigator in New Zealand. New Zealand officials forwarded the information to HSI special agents who connected the photos to Lee and his camera. Forensic analysis of digital media seized from Lee’s home revealed thousands of images and videos of child exploitation. Investigators were able to identify three young victims involved in Lee’s production of child pornography. Other images that he possessed were those of victims already identified by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. When Lee pleaded guilty last September, he admitted to taking sexually explicit photos of an 11-year-old girl.

Lee was also ordered to register as a sex offender and will be on supervised release for the rest of his life following his prison term.

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington.

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 10,000 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 2013, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.

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.

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 and current chair 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.