A Mississippi man was sentenced on Thursday to serve more than 18 years in prison for creating child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills sentenced Jason Rusch, 49, of Calhoun City, to 220 months’ incarceration followed by 10 years of supervised release for creating images of his molestation of a 9-year old minor.

He was also ordered to pay $17,500 in restitution to five minor victims whose images of Child Sexual Exploitation he possessed.

Rusch was identified in part by his fingerprints in photos he took of his molestation of a minor.

“Rusch is a sexual predator who deserves every day of this sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner.  “Every child deserves a safe childhood, and I appreciate the hard work of our partners in the FBI and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office to enable the vigorous prosecution of child exploitation crimes.”

“We are pleased to work with our federal partners on this case and others that take down predators and disrupt their vast network of child exploitation,” remarked Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “Our Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force is precisely the kind of law enforcement partnership that is necessary to protect children from abuse.  Mississippi parents can rest assured that we will rigorously investigate and prosecute these cases to keep children safe.”

FBI SAC Jermicha Fomby remarked, “Safeguarding our society’s future begins with protecting underage citizens of our communities from predatory individuals like Jason Rusch. Those who commit these heinous crimes against our youth will be aggressively sought after and brought to justice. The FBI is committed to supporting our DOJ partners in protecting the innocence of our minors, ensuring offenders are brought to justice”

The Mississippi Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Roberts prosecuted the case.