Two of the nine men arrested last year in a child exploitation sting in Clarke County received multiyear prison sentences last week, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice.
After the most recent sentencings, four of the men arrested in the sting, dubbed “Operation End Game,” have received multiyear prison stints.
Joseph Daniel Kelly, 45, of Monroe, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison with 10 years of supervised release. Frederick Lamar Smith, 29, of Royston, was sentenced to nearly four years in prison with 10 years of supervised release.
Both men pleaded guilty to one count each of using facilities in interstate commerce to transmit information about a minor. Following their prison terms, both will be registered as sex offenders. There is no parole in the federal system.
“The punishment is prison for those caught seeking to sexually exploit minor children,” U.S. Attorney Charlie Peeler said.
Kelly and Smith were both arrested in the multi-agency sting operation, AJC.com previously reported. The three-day sting in July 2019 was the culmination of months of investigative work by the FBI, GBI, Georgia Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Athens-Clarke County Police Department.
Two other men previously pleaded guilty on similar charges. Andrew Leo Schafer, 53, of Winder, and James Hughes Morriss, 50, of Dacula, were each sentenced to nearly four years in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release. Morriss is a former youth softball umpire, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has not responded to AJC.com’s requests for information on the remaining five men charged.
— Please return to AJC.com for updates.
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