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The office of U.S. attorney Adair Ford Boroughs announced that a federal grand jury in Columbia, South Carolina had returned a 22-count indictment against a Columbia man on multiple charges last week.
According to the indictment, 31-year-old Leon-Bobby Jones-Hubbard of Columbia was charged with
- Sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion
- Two counts of sex trafficking of a minor
- Nine counts of production and attempted production of child sexual abuse materials
- Nine counts of coercion and enticement of a minor into illegal sexual conduct
- One count of distribution of child sexual abuse material
According to prosecutors, Jones-Hubbard used “social media platforms including Facebook to target, recruit, and exploit ten minor victims who ranged from ages five to 16 and were located in Arkansas, Michigan, Alabama, Wisconsin, and Texas.”
The indictment also alleged that Jones-Hubbard paid money through Cash App, PayPal and Meta Pay to “induce and entice minors into illegal sexual conduct” – including sex trafficking and the production of child sexual abuse material.
Additionally, Jones-Hubbard allegedly targeted and exploited another victim – an adult with a severe developmental disorder – by using an intermediary to coerce the victim into sex acts through physical restraint, physical force and violence in exchange for money.
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In addition to a possible life sentence, Jones-Hubbard faces mandatory minimum penalties of fifteen years, ten years and five years in prison on the various counts with which he has been charged. Furthermore, the release noted Jones-Hubbard faces fines of “up to $250,000 per count, a special assessment of $5,000 per count, mandatory restitution payable to any victims who suffered loss in connection with criminal conduct, court-ordered supervision of life to follow any term of imprisonment and federal and state sex offender registration requirements.”
Jones-Hubbard was arraigned in federal court on January 23, 2025 and was ordered to remain in custody pending a detention hearing before U.S. magistrate Paige J. Gossett on Monday (January 28, 2025) at 2:30 p.m. EDT.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood – which is a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse – led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS)
Jones-Hubbard’s case was investigated by the FBI Columbia Field Office and assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliott B. Daniels and E. Elizabeth Major are prosecuting the case.
As with anyone accused of committing any crime, Jones-Hubbard is considered innocent until proven guilty by our criminal justice system – or until such time as he may wish to enter some form of allocution in connection with a plea agreement with prosecutors related to any of the charges filed against him.
No additional information has been released at the time, but count on FITSNews to provide any pertinent updates related to this case as it moves forward.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Erin Parrott is a Greenville, S.C. native who graduated from J. L. Mann High School in 2021. She is currently a senior at the University of South Carolina majoring in broadcast journalism. Got feedback or a tip for Erin? Email her here.
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