Man arrested in Georgia, found guilty of producing child pornography

ATLANTA, Ga. (WDEF) — Authorities arrested an American man for producing child pornography, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The press release said Stephen Gordon Grimes, of California, is in custody for recording his sexual abuse of young girls in the Philippines and transporting the material to the United States.

Homeland Security agents arrested Grimes when he arrived at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta from South Korea. The arrest took place in September of 2020.

They confiscated his cell phone and other electronics, which unveiled his 340 videos and 650 images of him abusing Filipino children, the DOJ said.

The abuse occurred over the span of about three years, from 2016 to 2019, according to authorities. They say the ages of the abused female children spanned from 4 to 13.

In addition, they said Grimes had downloaded over 500 videos and over 4,000 images of child pornography from the internet.

The Department of Justice said authorities sentenced 51-year-old Grimes to 50 years in prison. Afterwards, he will have a lifetime of supervised release.

“Grimes was found guilty by a jury on April 7, 2023, of multiple counts of producing child pornography outside the United States, attempting to transport child pornography, and possessing child pornography,” the press release added.

A Homeland Security Investigations operation allowed agents to rescue the girls that Grimes exploited. Two women in the Philippines were prosecuted as well.

This investigation was part of Project Safe Childhood, which they describe as “a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.”