A Perry County man pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court to one count of production of child pornography contained in a federal indictment handed up in 2020 that charged him with one count of possession of child pornography, two counts of extortion and five counts of production of child pornography.
Jakob Brown, 26, of Bigelow, who is a registered sex offender from a previous conviction in Faulkner County, was arrested April 23, 2020, by Conway police on charges of sexual extortion, harassing communications and possession of a controlled substance following a traffic stop on Dave Ward Drive. When he returns to court for sentencing, Brown faces a minimum sentence of 25 years in prison as outlined in his plea agreement with federal prosecutors and could face as much as 50 years' imprisonment for the offense.
Brown is also subject to a fine of up to $250,000, five years to life on supervised release after he leaves prison, and a $5,000 special assessment under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015.
Faulkner County Circuit Court records indicate that in 2019 Brown was sentenced to serve 54 months in the Arkansas Department of Corrections after pleading guilty to distributing/possessing or viewing matter depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child.
According to a probable cause affidavit filed in Faulkner County Circuit Court on April 24, 2020 -- the day after Brown's arrest by Conway police -- an investigation into Brown's activities was opened after a Conway police detective received a report accusing Brown of sexual extortion. The affidavit said Brown met the victim on Tinder and soon began messaging her on Snapchat, eventually offering to pay her $200 for nude photos and videos.
According to the affidavit, Brown agreed to pay the victim $200 up front and $350 after she sent him all the materials he wanted, but after the victim balked at sending more sexually explicit materials, Brown threatened to share the photos he already had with her friends.
On the day of his arrest, the affidavit said, a patrol officer pulled Brown over after seeing him driving on Dave Ward Drive in Conway. Under questioning, Brown admitted to contacting the victim, telling police he was unhappy she did not fulfill the agreement and that he felt justified in demanding more photos and videos and demanding his money back, the affidavit said.
Court records indicated the charges Brown faced in Faulkner County Circuit Court were nolle prossed (dismissed) by the prosecuting attorney's office in January 2021 following his indictment on the federal charges the previous month.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin O'Leary told Miller the initial contact with the Conway Police Department came April 22, 2021, from a 19-year-old woman who advised police of Brown's actions against the 17-year-old victim.
Following Brown's arrest the next day, Conway police seized his cell phone, and a forensic examination turned up images of child pornography, O'Leary said. She said a search warrant served to Snapchat for relevant user accounts provided evidence of conversations between Brown and the victim between Feb. 8 and Feb. 11, 2020.
"Beginning Feb. 8, 2020, Brown offers to pay [the victim] for videos," O'Leary said in court Wednesday. "During the course of the conversation, Brown tells [her], 'everything has to show face and send the pictures and video to chat.'"
O'Leary went on to read subsequent texts from Brown that described in graphic detail the sex acts he was demanding his victim send to him in the form of photos and videos.
After asking Brown if he had listened to O'Leary's description of the offense and if he understood the nature of the charges against him -- to which Brown answered affirmatively -- Miller asked for the defendant's plea.
"Guilty," Brown answered.
"Did you, in fact, commit the offense as charged?" Miller asked.
"Yes," Brown replied.
Miller explained to Brown he will be brought back for sentencing following completion of a pre-sentence investigation report by the U.S. Probation Office, a process that typically takes between three and four months.