SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Jason S. Wymer, 44, of Citrus Heights, pleaded guilty today to sexual exploitation of children, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced. Previously, on March 25, 2016, co-defendant Stormy M. Avers, 36, of Placerville, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of children.
According to court documents, the case began when a parent accidentally texted a photo of her eight-year-old to a wrong number who turned out to be Wymer. Thinking he received the picture from a child, Wymer responded and began a dialog. The parent brought the cellphone to the FBI, and an undercover employee, pretending to be an eight-year-old child, continued the dialog with Wymer, whom investigators were subsequently able to locate.
Upon his arrest, law enforcement found photos of Wymer and co-defendant Avers molesting a child, who was approximately three years old, in order to create child pornography. Avers had custody and control of the child at the time. In pleading guilty, Wymer admitted to this conduct, and also to a separate instance of sexual exploitation of a four-year-old child in August of 2011.
A third defendant, Jolene Davis, 40, of Stockton, is charged with having participated with Wymer in the sexual exploitation of a child of whom she had control or custody. Davis is scheduled to appear for a status conference before Judge Burrell on April 22, 2016. The charges against Davis are only allegations; she is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Wymer is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. on July 29, 2016. Wymer faces up to 30 years in federal prison. Ayers is scheduled to be sentenced on June 24, 2016. She faces up to 20 years in federal prison. The actual sentences, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sacramento Internet Crimes against Children Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew G. Morris is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about Internet safety education.