MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Covington man was found guilty of multiple child sex crimes and is facing a long prison sentence.
Jarrod Sanford, 43, was sentenced to 82 years in prison after a federal jury convicted him of production of child pornography, possession of child pornography, and committing a felony sex offense against a minor while required to register as a sex offender. Reagan Fondren, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee announced the sentence today, Nov. 1, 2024.
This is Sanford’s third conviction for sex offenses against children. He was previously convicted of sexual battery in Crockett County, TN, for his involvement in the rape of a 15-year-old child and of transporting an individual for prostitution in federal court in the Central District of Illinois for the sex trafficking of another 15-year-old child.
Because of his earlier convictions, Sanford was required to register as a sex offender in the State of Tennessee and to comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) requirements. In addition, Sanford was placed on lifetime federal supervised release. Sanford committed these new crimes despite those protections.
According to information presented during Sanford’s July trial, on November 19, 2023, deputies with the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report that Sanford had raped a 13-year-old child. Sanford’s DNA matched DNA samples taken from the child victim. While investigating the rape, TCSO deputies recovered a phone from Sanford’s residence. Agents with the FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force were able to bypass the phone’s encryption and discovered photographs that Sanford had taken between July and November of 2023 showing himself raping the same child.
A federal grand jury indicted Sanford for the child pornography and registry offenses in February 2024. On July 25, after a four-day trial, federal jurors convicted Sanford as charged.
On October 31, 2024, United States District Judge Thomas L. Parker sentenced Sanford to 70 years for the child pornography offenses, a mandatory consecutive ten years for the SORNA violation, and an additional two years for violation of his supervised release, for a total of 82 years’ in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
Acting U.S. Attorney Fondren said, “Jarrod Sanford is a sexual predator whose monstrous crimes caused immeasurable harm to the girls upon whom he preyed. We must all come together to combat this kind of abuse that plagues the very foundation of our society. This prosecution, achieved through the collaborative work between the U.S. Attorney’s Office and multiple law enforcement partners, is essential to bringing justice to the survivor of his depraved acts and holding Sanford accountable for his actions. Today’s sentence should send a message to child predators everywhere: Our children deserve better, and you will suffer severe consequences if you harm them.”
“The victimization of children tears at the fabric of our community,” said Special Agent in Charge Joe Carrico of the FBI Tennessee, Memphis Resident Agency. “This sentence will protect other children from harm by this predator and should serve as a warning to like-minded individuals who are considering engaging in similar reprehensible behavior. The FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to target, catch, and bring to justice those who victimize our most vulnerable.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Probation Office for the Western District of Tennessee, and the Tipton County Sheriff’s Office.
