On Thursday, Jordan Isaiah Maurice Watts, 31, was formally indicted for three counts of sexual exploitation of a child.
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan Mark Totten said about the charges and upcoming trial, “As part of our mission to protect the public, my office is committed to holding accountable persons who produce child pornography. My office is fully prepared to prove these allegations at trial.”
Watts is charged with three counts of sexual exploitation of a child, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2251(a) and (e). If convicted, the statutory mandatory minimum sentence for each count is 15 years in prison with a maximum possible sentence of 30 years in prison. “The sexual exploitation of children is among the most disturbing crimes the FBI investigates,” said Devin J. Kowalski, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan. “I would like to thank the Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office and the Portage Department of Public Safety whose partnership with our office helps ensure anyone who exploits vulnerable children will be brought to justice.”
While Watts was charged by criminal complaint on July 25, 2023, to secure his immediate detention, Thursday’s action satisfies the defendant’s constitutional right to federal indictment by a grand jury.
Arraignment and an initial pretrial conference on these charges is scheduled for August 29, 2023, at 11:30 a.m. before Magistrate Judge Ray Kent. The charges in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
