(WWJ) – A registered sex offender living in Dearborn is now facing a lengthy prison sentence for trying to get explicit photos from a minor.
Anthony John-Hamernik Girard, 32, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for sexual exploitation of children, U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison announced Wednesday.
Girard admitted to requesting a 16-year-old minor to create and send him an image of them engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and according to the attorney’s office, Girard received such an image from the same minor.
He also told that same girl he “kinda” wished that she was younger, according to Ison’s office.
Police in Perrysburg, Ohio investigated Girard after he began sending sexually explicit messages to a person he believed was a 14-year-old girl but was actually an undercover police officer.
From that investigation, authorities discovered that Girard had other contacts with minors, including telling a 13-year-old that she was “beautiful” before she told him that she wanted no further contact with him.
Girard was caught having sexual conversations with young girls on Instagram while living with his wife and daughter, according to a 2021 report from WDIV.
“A prior conviction that resulted in a designation as a sex offender did not prevent this offender from lurking online and exploiting a minor. This sentence demonstrates that recidivist offenders who engage in online exploitation will receive significant penalties to keep our children safe.” Ison said, per a press release.
James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Detroit Field Office, called sexual exploitation “one of the most depraved crimes committed.”
“And this case is especially disturbing because the defendant engaged in this behavior following a conviction that put him on the sex registry,” Tarasca said. “The FBI will continue to work tirelessly to protect the most vulnerable members of our community from harm and exploitation.”
This case was investigated by the Southeast Michigan Trafficking and Exploitation Crimes Task Force of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Perrysburg Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Rawsthorne and Lisandra Fernandez-Silber.
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