California Man Who Secretly Recorded Children Using Spyware Sentenced to 40 Years in Federal Prison

MIAMI – A California man has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting children by secretly recording minors through spyware installed on laptop computers and directing children overseas to produce child sexual abuse material (CSAM). U.S. District Judge Jacqueline Becerra sentenced Jacob Melvin Hart, 46, of California, after he pleaded guilty to attempted production of visual depictions involving sexual exploitation of a minor and transportation of visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of minors. “This defendant weaponized technology and abused positions of trust to invade children’s most private spaces and sexually exploit them,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The 40-year sentence imposed on Jacob Melvin Hart means he will likely spend the rest of his life in federal prison. It protects children from a calculated predator and demonstrates that we will pursue those who produce and solicit child sexual abuse material, whether their victims are here at home or across the world.” Hart was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection upon his return to the U.S. through Miami International Airport following a mission trip to Haiti. An inspection of Hart’s electronic devices revealed CSAM, including images and videos that he had directed minor children in Russia to create at his request. The subsequent investigation revealed that Hart had previously worked as an IT consultant for a California church, where he had access to numerous minor children. Hart provided laptops equipped with spyware to several children, allowing him to remotely activate the computers’ cameras without the children’s knowledge. Using the spyware, Hart secretly recorded at least eight minor victims and possessed sexually explicit depictions of those children. In 2006, Hart was convicted in Oregon of invasion of privacy after secretly installing a hidden camera in a girls’ locker room at a summer camp. During sentencing in this case, the Court described the scope of Hart’s conduct as “extraordinary.” U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami made the announcement. HSI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brianna Coakley prosecuted the case. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov , under case number 25-cr-20303. ###