Jason Hemans {US Marshall’s Office}
A North Lauderdale man was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for transporting over 620 electronic images and videos of child sexual exploitation.
Jason Hemans, 40, a registered sex offender, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore in Miami on March 14, following his guilty plea on December 19, 2023, for the transportation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
The conviction stemmed from an incident on August 18, 2023, when Hemans arrived from Jamaica at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. Customs and Border Protection officers, upon learning of Hemans’ status as a registered sex offender, conducted a search of his smartphone, uncovering numerous images of child sexual abuse.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents from Fort Lauderdale further examined the device, finding several hundred images of CSAM. Hemans was arrested after admitting to receiving and viewing the photos.
The case was investigated by HSI Fort Lauderdale in collaboration with the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and United States Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine Koontz prosecuted the case.
This sentencing is part of “Operation Angel Watch,” an initiative under International Megan’s Law created in 2007 to combat transnational child sexual abuse by monitoring the travel of convicted sexual offenders. It also falls under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child exploitation and abuse.
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