Birmingham, Ala. – Robert Lee Ford, Jr., 35, of Birmingham, pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of children after jury selection for his trial, U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr. announced. Ford admitted to producing child sexual abuse material.
The plea agreement detailed that on January 24, 2025, a Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a report of an assault on a 14-year-old at Children’s of Alabama hospital. Following an investigation with FBI assistance, deputies executed a state search warrant on Ford’s apartment and arrested him. Further federal investigation of Ford’s online accounts by the FBI revealed videos of child sexual abuse material he had produced involving the minor victim in December 2024 and January 2025.
U.S. Attorney Phillip W. Williams Jr. said, “Children deserve to be protected from those who seek to exploit and abuse them. By pleading guilty, the defendant has admitted responsibility for his crimes and will now be held accountable for the harm he caused the victim.” Mike Kochanowski, Acting Special Agent in Charge, FBI Birmingham, added, “The exploitation of a child is a heinous crime. Those who prey on children should know this: the FBI will use every available resource to identify you, find you, and hold you accountable.”
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative combating child sexual exploitation. The FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case.