On January 22, 2026, Jason L. Pea of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced after pleading guilty to Sexual Exploitation of Children and Distributing Child Pornography, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
News release from the United States Attorney’s Office Northern District of Indiana:
Fort Wayne Man Sentenced to 300 Months in Prison For Sexual Exploitation of Children and Distributing Child Pornography
Fort Wayne, Indiana (January 29, 2026) – On January 22, 2026, Jason L. Pea, 32 years old, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, was sentenced by United States District Court Chief Judge Holly A. Brady after pleading guilty to Sexual Exploitation of Children and Distributing Child Pornography, announced United States Attorney Adam L. Mildred.
Pea was sentenced to 300 months in prison followed by lifetime supervision and ordered to pay $12,000 restitution. Pea was ordered to pay a special assessment of $5,000 pursuant to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act of 2018.
According to documents in the case, in the fall of 2024, Pea began communicating via social media with a thirteen-year-old female in Missouri. Pea offered to pay the child for sexually explicit photos and videos. After the child complied, Pea threatened to publish the photos and videos if the child did not return the money or provide him the names and contact information for her friends. The child returned a portion of the money; however, Pea distributed a sexually explicit video of the minor to another minor child. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Allen County Sheriff’s Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force executed a search warrant at Pea’s residence in Allen County, Indiana, and found the communication devices that Pea used to commit the offenses. Pea was a registered sex offender, having been convicted of sexual misconduct with a minor in 2016.
“Jason Pea reached out through the internet to inflict devastating abuse on an innocent girl living hundreds of miles away,” said U.S. Attorney Mildred. “He compounded this heinous crime by threatening to distribute the products of that abuse to blackmail the minor victim into providing access to her friends. And as a final twist, he ignored the minor victim’s compliance with that blackmail and distributed the abusive materials to another minor anyway. He did all this despite having already once been convicted and punished for a sexual offense. Thankfully, the excellent work of our law enforcement and prosecutorial teams resulted in a long prison sentence and a lifetime of court-ordered supervision that will stop this repeat sex offender from preying on our children for the rest of his life. I would like to thank each and every one of them for their efforts.”
“Every image and video of child sexual abuse represents a real child who has been harmed and demands a decisive law-enforcement response,” said FBI Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Timothy J. O’Malley. This 300-month sentence reflects the seriousness of the harm caused and sends a clear message that those who prey on children and distribute this material will be aggressively pursued and held fully accountable.”
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Allen County Sheriff’s Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Stacey R. Speith.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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