Sex Offender Sentenced To More Than 15 Years For Sexually Exploiting Children

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Carlos E. Mendoza has sentenced James Edward Groover, II (34, Antwerp, Ohio) to 15 years and 8 months in federal prison for transportation of child pornography. The court also ordered Groover to forfeit the electronic devices he used to commit the offense.

Groover had pleaded guilty on February 6, 2020.

According to court documents, on June 17, 2019, Groover returned to the United States from a three-day cruise to the Bahamas, carrying his cell phone and laptop computer. Upon his entry into Port Canaveral, Florida, law enforcement agents conducted a border search of his devices and located 4,638 images and 1,763 videos depicting the sexual abuse and exploitation of infants, toddlers and prepubescent children. The agents also found a digital manual that provided instructions for sexually molesting little girls.

Previously, in 2005, Canadian authorities located images of child sex abuse on a laptop that Groover had transported across the Canadian border. Groover was convicted of possession of child pornography in Canada.

“This repeat child predator did not learn his lesson the first time,” said HSI Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David J. Pezzutti. “This sentencing is a message to this criminal and others, that HSI special agents and our law enforcement partners, like the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, continue to fight to protect the most vulnerable in our communities.”

Sheriff Wayne Ivey stated, “I am so very proud of these agents who are devoted to protecting children. Through their outstanding efforts, an individual who participated in the exploitation of our children has been removed from our communities. I want to thank the US Attorney’s Office for prosecuting these cases and Homeland Security Investigations for all their support in fighting the exploitation of children.”

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karen L. Gable.     

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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.