A Jacksonville, Florida man has been sentenced to 420 months in prison for producing child pornography. Josh Lee Knittel, 44, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Danny Reeves on October 20.
Court records show that Knittel had a prior conviction in 2006 for a sex offense involving a minor and was already a registered sex offender. The investigation began when someone known to the victim discovered inappropriate text messages between Knittel and the victim on July 29, 2024. These messages revealed that Knittel was paying the victim for nude photos. Authorities reviewed financial accounts and additional messages, confirming the exchange of money for sexually explicit images. Law enforcement arrested Knittel on October 16, 2024, and he admitted to his actions.
Federal sentencing guidelines require that Knittel serve at least 85 percent of his prison term before being eligible for release. After completing his sentence, he will be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for life.
The announcement of the sentence was made jointly by Paul McCaffrey, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky; Olivia Olson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Louisville Field Office; and Chief Tony Gray Jr., Danville Police Department.
The FBI and Danville Police Department led the investigation into this case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Melton prosecuted on behalf of the United States.
“This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood,” stated officials from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.” According to their statement: “Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet as well as to identify and rescue victims.”
For more information about Project Safe Childhood visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
