Indiana Repeat Sex Offender Sentenced To 40 Years In Federal Prison For Producing Child Sexual Abuse Images

Jacksonville, Florida - U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger today sentenced Jerry Michael Moore (42, Indiana) to 40 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for production and attempted production of child sexual abuse materials after previously being convicted of a child sex offense. Moore pleaded guilty on June 12, 2025.

According to court documents, on January 30, 2025, at the Jacksonville Port Authority (JAXPORT) Cruise Terminal, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officers searched Moore as he returned to the United States from a cruise, because Moore had previously been convicted of sexual misconduct with a minor in 2007 in Indiana. During the examination of Moore, officers learned that Moore had a cellphone with him. A manual review of Moore's cellphone revealed multiple surreptitious video files of what appeared to be a minor female child to whom Moore had access stored within a "hidden" folder of the photo gallery. A special agent with Homeland Security Investigations later responded to the JAXPORT Cruise Terminal and confirmed the child sexual abuse materials on the device.

Moore agreed to speak with law enforcement and admitted to using multiple hidden cameras, including his cellphone, to secretly record the child to whom he had access. Moore used a hidden camera to record the child through a crawl space of a residence to access the inside of a shower through the wall. Further examination of Moore's cellphone revealed additional surreptitious recordings of the child.

This case was investigated by United States Customs and Border Protection Officers and Homeland Security Investigations. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.