A South Carolina man was sentenced on Monday to 40 years in federal prison for getting his Kentucky girlfriend to produce pornographic photos of a 3-year-old victim.

Jonathan Edward Manigault, 36, admitted that he directed Christina B. Mitchell, of Pike County, to take photographs of a 3-year-old victim engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Manigault provided Mitchell with specific, detailed instructions on what types of explicit photographs to produce and provide him.

According to the plea agreement, Mitchell transmitted the photographs to Manigault using the Facebook Messenger application. Thereafter, Manigault had Mitchell agree to produce additional images of an additional underage victim.

Manigault pleaded guilty in September 2020.

Mitchell pleaded guilty, on August 26, 2019, to two counts of producing child pornography. According to her plea agreement, Mitchell produced sexually explicit images of a 3-year-old and an 8-year-old victim. Mitchell was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison, in February 2020.

Under federal law, Manigault and Mitchell must serve 85 percent of their prison sentences. Manigault will be under the supervision of the U.S. Probation Office for 15 years, following his release.

“One of the greatest responsibilities of law enforcement is to protect young children from sexual exploitation, abuse, and the damage it causes,” said Carlton S. Shier, IV, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky. “As this case shows, there are some who prey on astonishingly vulnerable victims. So, we will continue to do our part to ensure that these offenders are identified, prosecuted, and punished. The despicable conduct in this case justifies our efforts, and certainly warrants the punishments the Court has imposed.”

“There is no place in our society for criminals who prey upon our most precious and vulnerable children,” said James Robert Brown, Jr., Special Agent in Charge, FBI, Louisville Field Office. “The sentences administered today are a direct reflection of a criminal justice system that will not stand for such contemptible behavior. The FBI and all of our law enforcement partners stand ready to use all of our available resources to protect our youngest citizens.”