Repeat sex offender sentenced to federal prison for child porn involving high school student

The following was taken from a press release distributed by the United States Attorney’s Office – Northern District of Georgia on October 22, 2024:

Warning: The following story contains information regarding alleged sexual violence against children.

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. – Jeffrey Farneski, a repeat sex offender who was released from state prison earlier this year, has been sentenced to federal prison for enticing a child to produce child pornography. 

“Farneski is a serial predator who used the internet and social media apps as tools to lure and sexually exploit a vulnerable child,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “Thanks to the collaborative efforts of our law enforcement partners, this habitual sex offender has been prosecuted and returned to prison, helping to achieve a measure of justice for his victims and prevent him from exploiting others.”

“Jeffrey Farneski’s predatory actions against a vulnerable teenager are a stark reminder of the dangers posed online by offenders who exploit technology to prey on children,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven N. Schrank, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. “HSI remains committed to pursuing these criminals relentlessly, working alongside our law enforcement partners to ensure they face justice and no longer pose a threat to our communities.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: In January 2022, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents searched Jeffrey Farneski’ s home after learning that he used a social media application to distribute and receive child pornography.  At the time of the search, Farneski was a registered sex offender serving a 10-year term of probation.

Farneski admitted that he distributed child pornography via the internet while on probation, and agents recovered child pornography from his cell phone. Farneski’s probation was revoked and he was returned to state prison after pleading guilty to additional child exploitation crimes.

While Farneski was incarcerated, HSI reviewed text messages stored on his cell phone and those messages revealed that he had cultivated a sexual relationship with a Coweta County high school student while he was on probation.

The student was under 18 years old when Farneski began communicating with her in a social media chat group.  Farneski persuaded the student to send him sexually explicit images and to also meet him at various places in the metro Atlanta area to engage in sexual acts.

After Farneski returned to state prison, he used contraband cell phones to maintain his relationship with the student.  In January 2024, two months after his release from state custody, Farneski was arrested and taken into federal custody by HSI agents.

Jeffrey Farneski, 50, of Lawrenceville, Georgia, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr. to 15 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Farneski was convicted of enticement of a minor after he pleaded guilty on July 9, 2024.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Gwinnett County Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.

Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.