A Smithfield man has been sentenced to 19-1/2 years in federal prison. On Wednesday, James Owen Hagins was sentenced to the lengthy prison term followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
US District Judge James C. Fox handed down the sentence in federal court in Wilmington.
Hagins, 44, formerly of the 3100 block of South Brightleaf Boulevard, was named in a three count indictment on September 9, 2015, charging him with distribution of child pornography and two counts of the receipt and possession of child pornography.
On July 2, 2015 agents with the U.S. Marshal’s Service questioned Hagins about his relationship with an individual under investigation in Tennessee for the kidnapping and sexual abuse of a female juvenile. Hagins is a registered sex offender who had been convicted previously on indecent liberties with a child and third degree sexual exploitation of a minor in Johnston County in 1995 and 2004 respectively.
Federal prosecutors said Hagins admitted he had been in contact with the suspect in Tennessee and met him in a chat room. The suspect in Tennessee has since been arrested and the minor child was located and returned to her family.
On July 5, 2015 Hagins admitted he had exchanged images of child pornography for several months with individuals he met in a chat room. Five days later, on July 10, 2015 the FBI executed a search warrant at his home in Smithfield and seized a computer, multiple cell phones, and multiple media storage devices. Forensic examination uncovered more than 2,000 images and 487 videos of child pornography.
The investigation was conducted by the United States Marshal’s Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Johnston County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Ethan Ontjes represented the government.
This case was part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, a national program aimed at ensuring that criminals exploiting children are effectively prosecuted by making full use of all available law enforcement resources at every level.
