Jefferson County Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of Children After Jury Selected for His Trial

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A Birmingham man has pleaded guilty to producing child sexual abuse material, announced U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr.

After jury selection in a trial before Chief U.S. District Judge Madeline H. Haikala, Robert Lee Ford, Jr., 35, pleaded guilty to two-counts of sexual exploitation of children.

According to the plea agreement, on January 24, 2025, a deputy with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office was dispatched to Children's of Alabama hospital after receiving a report of an assault on a child. The child's mother reported that her 14-year-old daughter had been assaulted by Ford. After further investigation and with assistance from the FBI, deputies executed a state search warrant on Ford's apartment and arrested Ford on state charges. The FBI continued investigating and executed federal search warrants on Ford's online accounts. A review of these accounts revealed videos of child sexual abuse material Ford had produced using the minor victim on multiple dates in December 2024 and January 2025.

"Children deserve to be protected from those who seek to exploit and abuse them," said U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr. "By pleading guilty, the defendant has admitted responsibility for his crimes and will now be held accountable for the harm he caused the victim. I am grateful for the dedication of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners who drove this case to a successful conclusion. This case is about protecting children and ensuring that those who exploit them are brought to justice."

"The exploitation of a child is a heinous crime. Those who prey on children should know this: the FBI will use every available resource to identify you, find you, and hold you accountable," said Mike Kochanowski, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI Birmingham. "We will never stop pursuing individuals who victimize children, and we will continue to work alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure they face justice."

If you suspect or become aware of a child being sexually abused or exploited, please contact law enforcement. To alert the FBI Birmingham Office, call 205-326-6166. Reports can also be filed with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) or online at https://www.cybertipline.org.Links to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.projectsafechildhood.govLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

The FBI Birmingham's Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case along with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Leann White and J. Patrick Lamb are prosecuting the case.