ST. GEORGE , Utah – A Washington County man was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment after law enforcement found child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on his phone, which had been digitally altered.
The sentence, imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen comes after Jared Marsh, 49, of Santa Clara, Utah, pleaded guilty on May 4, 2026, to possession of child pornography. In addition to his term of imprisonment, he was sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release.
According to court documents and statements made at Marsh’s change of plea and sentencing hearings, on June 8, 2024, and continuing through November 21, 2024, Marsh was in possession of child pornography. As stated in court documents, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Marsh’s phone after being contacted by a victim who reported Marsh had sexually explicit photos of her without her consent. In reviewing the contents of Marsh’s phone, law enforcement found approximately 20 photographs of children ranging in age from 12 to 17 years old that had been digitally altered to make the children appear to be completely nude. The investigation revealed that the photos were first placed on the phone shortly after Marsh had completed a probationary term for a State of Utah misdemeanor voyeurism conviction.
“Digitally altering a child’s image through technology is illegal and will be met with severe consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak for the District of Utah. “I have zero tolerance for this conduct and will continue working closely with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law.”
“The Santa Clara–Ivins Police Department is proud of the investigative work that brought this case forward. We appreciate the partnership of the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said Chief Jaron Studley of the Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department. As technology continues to evolve, our focus remains the same: protecting victims, holding offenders accountable, and doing everything we can to keep our children and communities safe.”
The case was investigated by the Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Burton of The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and 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, please visit Justice.gov/PSC .
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Utah — U.S. Department of Justice press release.