Joshua Sims, a 38-year-old Indianapolis man, has been sentenced to over five decades in federal prison for his crimes involving the sexual exploitation of a child.
According to a statement from the
U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana
, Sims will face fifty-four and a half years. After his sentence is served, he will then be under supervised release for what will likely be the remainder of his life, and he must also pay $10,000 in restitution to the victim he exploited. Previously convicted of child molestation in 2006, Sims’ record of non-compliance with sex offender registration and multiple felony convictions, including strangulation, battery, and criminal confinement, challenged the systems meant to guard against such repeat offenses.
During a span between February 23 and March 7, 2023, Sims was in charge of a child under two years old and engaged in the abuse and sexual exploitation of the toddler, forcing him to engage in sexually explicit conduct and recording the obscene acts; furthermore, he coerced a relative to watch the abuse. Evidence of his crimes propagated across the internet as he distributed videos and images of his vile acts. Investigators, upon arresting Sims, retrieved from his smartphone over 5,000 images and 300 videos of children being sexually abused, some of which depicted children of similarly tender ages, and the despicable content extended to portrayals of bestiality and sadomasochistic acts.
“Undeterred by multiple prison sentences, this pedophile subjected a toddler to horrific sexual abuse, and trafficked in recordings of children being sexually traumatized for his own sick gratification,” were the words of Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana, pointing to a profound disregard for the well-being of children and the tenacity of predatory behaviors, as stated by the
Department of Justice
. The tireless efforts of the U.S. Secret Service, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD), and the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force culminated in the success of this case, further affirmed by the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney II.
This case is part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative, launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006. The program uses federal, state, and local resources to identify and prosecute those who exploit children online and to rescue victims. The task force reviews thousands of tips, investigates many cases, and helps rescue dozens of children each year. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tiffany J. Preston led the prosecution in this case, supporting the mission’s ongoing efforts.
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