Itawamba County Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Producing Images During His Assault of a Child and for Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material

GREENVILLE, MS - Keith Blake Clifton, 31, was sentenced yesterday to 20 years for producing images of a child during his sexual assault of the victim and distributing child sexual abuse material through a mobile messaging application.

The investigation began after the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children alerted law enforcement authorities that a mobile messaging application user was distributing images and videos of child sexual abuse material. Investigators with the Mississippi Attorney General's Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation Task Force determined the user was Clifton, who resided in Itawamba County. Analysis of Clifton's devices revealed over 1,000 images of child sexual abuse material, including depictions of infants and toddlers.

Clifton later admitted to investigators that he had sexually abused a child in his care and photographed the encounter. Clifton is also under state indictment in the Circuit Court of Itawamba County, Mississippi, where the charges remain pending.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge Debra M. Brown sentenced Clifton to 180 months for his production of child sexual abuse material, and 60 months for distribution, to be served consecutively. After serving the 240-month sentence in federal prison, Clifton will be subject to 5 years of supervised release. The Court ordered restitution to be paid to victims in the amount of $66,500. Clifton will be required to register as a sex offender.

"The actions of Clifton were abhorrent, and such acts against a child will never be tolerated. The prevention and prosecution of crimes against the most vulnerable among us will always be a top priority of this office," said United States Attorney Scott Leary. "I want to thank our state, local and federal law enforcement partners for this investigation that made it possible to protect our community from this defendant."

"When children are victimized, the FBI, along with our law enforcement partners, will bring to bear every effort to ensure perpetrators, like Keith Clifton are held accountable. There is no justification to victimize and abuse our most vulnerable," stated Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jackson Field Office Robert Eikhoff. "This sentencing underscores the unwavering commitment of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Itawamba County Sheriff's Department, the Fulton Police Department, the Mississippi Attorney General's Office, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Mississippi. Through initiatives such as Project Safe Childhood, these agencies remain steadfast in identifying, investigating, and bringing to justice anyone who violates federal laws designed to protect our children."

"Child sexual abuse is a horrific crime that does extraordinary physical, mental, and emotional damage to the victim. And when it is recorded or photographed, that child's trauma occurs over and over again. We are proud to work with our federal, state, and local partners to help these victims achieve justice and closure, and help protect other children from abuse," said Attorney General Lynn Fitch.

The Mississippi Attorney General's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Addison prosecuted the case.

The case against Clifton is 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.gov.

This case is also part of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline system and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC). ICAC is a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to protect children on the Internet. The Mississippi ICAC Task Force includes local, state, and Federal law enforcement and is managed by the Mississippi Attorney General's Office.