Franklin man sentenced to 35 years for recording child pornography on cellphone

A Franklin man was sentenced Wednesday to 35 years in federal prison following his conviction in a child pornography production case.

Jason Fletcher, 41, of Franklin, was found guilty of conspiracy to produce and production of child pornography following a June 2018 bench trial in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati.

Fletcher and Ciera Richter, 25, of Cincinnati, were indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2017. Richter previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to produce child pornography.

Judge Susan Dlott sentenced Fletcher to 35 years in prison on each charge, and the sentences will run concurrently to each other and concurrently with sentences from the Warren County Common Pleas Court.

According to court documents, Fletcher previously was convicted by the state of importuning a minor, among other crimes. Under the terms of his probation, he was not to possess pornography of any kind, U.S. Attorney Benjamin C. Glassman and Steve Francis, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations said in announcing the convictions.

According to evidence at Fletcher’s bench trial and Richter’s plea, in February 2017, on an evening when Richter was babysitting the toddler, Fletcher used his cellphone to record videos of himself molesting the victim, while Richter held and moved the 2-year-old. Fletcher brought “medicine” with him, which Richter gave to the child. Fletcher was a registered sex offender at the time he made the videos.

Conspiracy to produce child pornography and production of child pornography are crimes that generally carry a potential sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison. Fletcher faced a potential range of 35 years to life in prison, because he has at least two prior state convictions for sex crimes involving children.

In addition to the prison terms, Dlott also ordered lifetime supervised released on each count to run concurrently.

In March 2013, Fletcher was indicted and later convicted of importuning, a fifth-degree felony, for sending a text to a 13-year-old girl asking her for oral sex.

He was sent to prison for 10 months and placed on five years probation. He was later sent back to prison for a probation violation in In April 2017, he was sent back to prison for a probation violation and is currently the Madison Correctional Institution.

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