Utah Charter School Director Charged for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

Press Release

Defendant allegedly possessed over 10,000 images of child sexual abuse material and is the lead director of multiple charter school's grades K-6

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - A charter school director in northern Utah is in federal custody and charged in a federal criminal complaint after he allegedly possessed well over 10,000 images of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and represented online that he could produce and distribute to others for profit.

Jared Dallan Buckley, 40, of West Point, Utah, is the Lead Director of both the Layton and Ogden, Utah, campuses for the Leadership Learning Academy, a charter school for grades kindergarten through six. Buckley is scheduled to make his initial appearance on the complaint Friday, April 25, 2025, at 9:45 a.m. in courtroom 8.4., before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City.

According to court documents, in October 2024, FBI agents began an on-line investigation of a person known only as "EMMA," later identified as Buckley, who was using an application known to be used by people interested in child sexual abuse material. During the investigation, "EMMA" distributed a video of child sexual abuse materials and represented that he had original child sexual abuse material that he could produce and distribute to others for a price. Through the investigation, agents were able to connect "EMMA" to a telephone number that was associated to Buckley.

On April 22, 2025, FBI agents executed search warrants on Buckley's residence in West Point, and his 2009 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD LT. FBI seized a cell phone in Buckley's vehicle that was consistent with the make and model of the phone being utilized by the internet accounts associated with "EMMA." During the forensic examination of the cell phone, agents found well over 10,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse material. The forensic examination of the cell phone also revealed evidence that Buckley has been distributing images of child sexual abuse material across multiple on-line platforms.

Acting U.S. Attorney Felice John Viti for the District of Utah made the announcement.

The case is being investigated by the FBI Salt Lake City Field Office.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

A complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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Updated April 24, 2025