Georgia Man Sentenced for Transporting a Minor for Illegal Sexual Activity

/PRNewswire/ -- Mack Gordon Harris Sr., 67, was sentenced today to 121 months in prison for transporting a minor for illegal sexual activity, announced Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division Lanny A. Breuer and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride.

Harris, formerly of Social Circle, Ga., was also ordered today by U.S. District Court Judge James R. Spencer to serve 10 years of supervised release following his prison term, and to register as a sex offender.

Harris pleaded guilty on Nov. 30, 2009, to one count of transporting a minor for illegal sexual activity. According to court documents, in June 2005, Harris began communicating with a girl in Maryland, then 15 years old, through a Christian online chat room. Harris admitted that as he continued chatting with the victim during the next few months, he suggested they engage in sexual intercourse. He exposed himself on a computer webcam, urged her to send naked pictures, and engaged in "phone sex." Harris eventually visited the victim around the time that she turned 16, which is the age of sexual consent in Maryland. Harris admitted that several times during his visit and after the victim's 16th birthday, the two engaged in sexual intercourse.

Shortly afterward, Harris decided that he would take the victim to live with him in Georgia. Harris admitted that he instructed the victim to pack her belongings and leave farewell notes for her family. According to court documents, Harris picked up the victim in Maryland in December 2005 and began driving her to his home in Georgia. Harris admitted he told the victim that while traveling, she was not to speak with anybody, but if asked her age, she should respond that she was 25. During the journey, they stopped overnight at a hotel in Skippers, Va., where the age of consent is 18, and engaged in sexual intercourse.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth C. Wu of the Eastern District of Virginia and Trial Attorney Barak Cohen of the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. The case was investigated by U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

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North Georgia Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Enticing a Child

KENNETH C. CHASE, 63, of Gainesville, Georgia, was sentenced yesterday by United States District Judge Thomas T. Thrash to serve over 15 years in federal prison on a charge of using a computer to attempt to entice a child for sexual activity.

“This case illustrates how important it is for law enforcement to be vigilant in investigating those who use the internet to express a willingness to sexually exploit children,” United States Attorney David E. Nahmias said.

CHASE was sentenced to 15 years, 8 months in prison to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. On November 14, 2008, a federal jury convicted CHASE after a three-day trial.

According to United States Attorney Nahmias and the information presented in court: In February 2008, an undercover FBI agent was approached by CHASE in an online chat room devoted to the topic of sex with children. Over the next several days, CHASE told the agent he wished to engage in sexual activities with the agent’s fictitious 11 year-old daughter. They arranged to meet in the parking lot of the Mall of Georgia, where CHASE said he wished to sexually assault the child. He told the agent he would bring a sunshade and blanket to hide the three of them from prying eyes while they engaged in sexual activity in his truck. He also told the agent he would bring liquor he might give the child. When CHASE arrived at the Mall of Georgia, he was arrested. Agents found a blanket, a sunshade, and butterscotch schnapps, on ice, in his truck. When interviewed, CHASE told agents he might have gone through with the sexual assault of the child.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney's Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

This case was investigated by Special Agents of the FBI.

Assistant United States Attorney Francey Hakes prosecuted the case.

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