Denton County Man Sentenced for Production of Child Pornography

 SHERMAN, Texas – A Flower Mound man has been sentenced for the sexual exploitation of a child in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today.

Jermaine Lanie Codrington, 39, was convicted by a jury on Sep. 4, 2020, of production of child pornography.  Codrington was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant on May 4, 2021.  Upon his release from custody, Codrington will be on supervised release for 10 years and will be required to register as a sex offender.

“The exploitation of a child is among one of the worst offenses a person can commit, and the sentence handed down in this case reflects that,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei.  “The Eastern District of Texas will continue to work with our federal, state, and local partners to punish those that engage in such heinous acts, and hopefully deter those that might be inclined to similarly engage in such acts of exploitation.”

“The sexual exploitation of a child is an inexcusable and unconscionable crime, often causing life-long harm to those victimized, said Ryan L. Spradlin, Special Agent in Charge Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Dallas. “The lengthy sentence imposed will not eliminate the trauma endured by the victim, but it does highlight the seriousness of the sexual offense perpetrated by the abuser.”

According to information presented in court, in April 2019, a minor child reported sexual abuse by Codrington.  Law enforcement investigating the matter discovered images of child pornography on Codrington’s cellular phone.  Codrington testified at trial and admitted to taking the photographs, stating that he had done so at the child’s request, to teach the child about their anatomy.  Other evidence introduced at trial detailed the child’s interactions with Codrington and established that the child had no contemporaneous knowledge of the photos.  The district court determined that an upward variance from the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines was warranted and sentenced Codrington to a term of imprisonment of 30 years.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by members of Homeland Security Investigations – Dallas and the Flower Mound Police Department.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Marisa Miller and Maureen Smith.