A 29-year-old registered sex offender, James “Jake” Harrison Newcomer, was sentenced to 17 years in prison by U.S. District Judge John H. Chun in Seattle after sexually exploiting more than a dozen teenagers while evading state supervision. The sentencing follows Newcomer’s guilty plea on August 8, 2025, to charges of traveling with intent to engage in sexual acts with a minor and two counts of attempted enticement of a minor.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, Newcomer had previously served a 30-month sentence for two counts of rape of a child and was under electronic monitoring as part of his community custody. On January 19, 2024, he removed his ankle monitor and absconded from supervision. Law enforcement officers were unable to locate him when they attempted an arrest six days later.
Between February and April 2024, Newcomer used social media platforms such as Discord and Snapchat to pose as a teenage boy and contact girls aged between 12 and 16 from multiple counties across Washington State and Woodburn, Oregon. He arranged meetings where he provided drugs and alcohol before sexually assaulting them.
At the sentencing hearing, Judge Chun described the offenses as “heartbreaking crimes,” noting that the youngest victim was just 12 years old.
U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd stated: “This repeat offender is every parent’s nightmare – the dangerous stranger who enters your home via the internet and steals your child’s innocence. Having been convicted in state court of rape of a child, he had a chance to get treatment and turn his life around. Instead, he cut off his ankle monitor and preyed upon more than a dozen children for his sexual gratification. At least now he will be off the street.”
Investigators found that Newcomer possessed multiple electronic devices containing child sexual abuse material; not all children depicted have been identified despite law enforcement efforts.
Victims’ family members spoke at court about the significant harm caused by Newcomer’s actions. One father said: “He manipulated, drugged and abused our child.”
W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office, commented: “Already a registered sex offender, Mr. Newcomer clearly didn’t learn his lesson from his previous sentence… Thanks to the efforts of several federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, young people in the Pacific Northwest will be safer with Mr. Newcomer behind bars. We hope this lengthy sentence serves as a warning of the severe consequences child predators can face for their crimes.”
Following his prison term, Judge Chun ordered that Newcomer be placed on lifetime supervised release.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including federal authorities like the FBI as well as police departments from Woodburn (Oregon), Auburn (Washington), Snoqualmie (Washington), Black Diamond (Washington), Des Moines (Washington), King County Sheriff’s Office (Washington), Kent Police Department (Washington), Marion County District Attorney’s Office (Oregon) and assistance from the Department of Corrections.
Assistant United States Attorney Cecelia Gregson prosecuted this case.
The prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006—aimed at combating online child exploitation through coordinated efforts among federal prosecutors’ offices and other agencies.
