A Florida man has been slapped with a 20-year prison sentence for the chilling crime of producing child pornography and for traveling with the intent to sexually abuse a minor, officials confirmed. Samuel Aaron Leonard, 42, from New Port Richey, was sentenced at the U.S. District Court in Tacoma after being apprehended near the home of a 14-year-old girl he had been grooming online. In a stark revelation, U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman announced Leonard's disturbing actions on Monday, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Leonard was arrested on July 2, 2020, in Vancouver, Washington, where he had traveled by bus from Florida. According to court records, he initiated contact with the teenage victim on April 1, 2020, through social media, where he masqueraded as a 20-year-old. He turned the conversations to sexual matters and sent her a smartphone, rigged with surveillance software to monitor her movements and communication. It was not until the girl's guardians detected these communications, did the law intervened.
"To damage a life as significantly as you have is far worse than any aggravated assault…. You have to understand that your victims have a life sentence," Judge Benjamin H. Settle imparted during Leonard's sentencing. Upon his arrest, Leonard was found attempting to pass a new cell phone to the girl after her guardians seized the first. A search of his hotel room unearthed further evidence of his predatory intentions, including restraints and videos of a past sexual assault on a 16-year-old in Oklahoma, per the U.S. Department of Justice.
Ensuring a harsh punishment, Judge Settle mandated a subsequent 20 years of supervised release for Leonard post-prison, reinforcing the gravity of his crimes and signaling a wider aim to combat child sexual exploitation. In addition to prison time, Leonard's name will be added to the sex offender registry, as part of the broader efforts to thwart such offenders from inflicting more harm.
The case, which sheds light on the predatory dangers lurking on social media platforms, was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Vancouver Police Department, and the Kalama Police Department with Assistant United States Attorneys Kristine Foerster and Sean Waite leading the prosecution with support from the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
