United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced today that Jeffrey Esposito, 54, of Shelbyville, was sentenced in federal court, by U.S. District Chief Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson, to 200 years in federal prison, after having previously pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography.
“Esposito tortured, sexually abused, and sexually exploited children for years,” said Minkler. “Judge Magnus-Stinson’s sentence ensures that he will never come in contact with another child again.”
On April 11, 2018, Jeffrey Esposito was charged by indictment with twenty counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one count of possession of child pornography. The first twenty charges relate to the recording of his repeated sexual abuse of his minor victim. The defendant’s sexual abuse of the victim started when the victim was approximately 7-8 years old and continued for years, including bondage and torture sessions with choking, whipping, and other forms of pain.
The twenty counts represent twenty images or videos of abuse and exploitation over multiple occasions out of the hundreds of sexual abuse files that the defendant created using this minor victim. The defendant was a member of various websites devoted to the sexual exploitation of children on an anonymous network, and he participated on various anonymous chatting platforms where he met other offenders, shared his produced material, and specifically requested and received child pornography from those users in exchange. The final charge represents the thousands of other depictions of sexual abuse that Esposito maintained on his various devices, which included images and videos depicting bondage and torture, images and videos depicting children as young as three years old, and images and videos of minor victims who were abused by other offenders specifically for Esposito’s benefit.
This case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
“Let this sentence serve as a reminder that HSI is committed to standing firmly in the way of those who prey on and exploit our most vulnerable population – our children,” said Special Agent in Charge James M. Gibbons. “HSI, in cooperation with our law enforcement and judicial partners, will work tirelessly to identify and bring to justice individuals who commit these heinous crimes.”
According to Assistant United States Attorney Steven D. DeBrota and Department of Justice, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Trial Attorney Lauren S. Kupersmith, who prosecuted this case for the government, Esposito will serve lifetime supervised release.
In October 2017, United States Attorney Josh J. Minkler announced a Strategic Plan designed to shape and strengthen the District’s response to its most significant public safety challenges. This prosecution demonstrates the office’s firm commitment to utilize and partner with law enforcement agencies to prosecute individuals engaged in the sexual exploitation of children. See United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Indiana Strategic Plan Section 4.1.
