Four men have been indicted on federal charges after a multi-agency sting operation targeting online predators.
The men are all charged with Attempted Enticement and Inducement of a Minor to Engage in Sexual Activity, a charge that carries a statutory penalty upon conviction of 10 years to life in prison, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. A conviction subjects the defendants to lifetime registration as a sex offender; at least five years to life of supervised release, upon completion of any prison term; and substantial financial penalties.
There is no parole in the federal system.
“As exemplified in Operation Nightfall, the dangers of the internet require the collaboration of multiple law enforcement agencies in identifying adults who are using online platforms to target children,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We will continue our work protecting our most vulnerable citizens.”
Those indicted on federal charges in Operation Nightfall include:
- Bobby Edwards Crews-Couch, 41, of Pooler, Ga.;
- Lancaster Graham, 38, of Garden City, Ga.;
- Clifton Newman, 34, of Savannah; and,
- Henry London Taylor, 69, of Savannah.
Criminal indictments contain only charges; defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Operation Nightfall, a proactive undercover child exploitation investigation, was coordinated and investigated by the Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Child Exploitation and Computer Crimes Unit, and the Savannah Police Department, with assistance from multiple state and local law enforcement agencies, the Southern District of Georgia U.S. Attorney’s Office, and the Chatham County District Attorney’s Office.
The operation targeted those who communicate online with children in order to engage in illegal sex acts. A total of seven individuals, including the named four federal defendants, were arrested on multiple state charges involving online sexual communications with purported children, and attempting to meet a child for illegal sex acts.
The defendants are being prosecuted for the United States by Sherri A. Stephan and Timothy P. Dean, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the Southern District of Georgia.
