Cartersville Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography

Ian Alicea Prewett has pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child.  In connection with his guilty plea, Prewett admitted he engaged in sex acts with minors under the age of 18 and enticed a child under the age of eight to produce sexually explicit images.

“Prewett preyed upon innocent children by enticing them to send him sexually explicit images and then victimized two minors, including during an out-of-state trip, by sexually assaulting those children,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan. “This office remains steadfast in our commitment to work with our law enforcement partners to uncover and prosecute child sexual predators attempting to lurk behind the anonymity of the internet.”

“Due to the dedication of our special agents and law enforcement partners, Prewett is no longer able to victimize children within our communities,” said Anthony J. Patrone, Acting Special Agent in Charge of HSI Atlanta that covers Georgia and Alabama. “HSI will continue to seek justice for victims and hold child predators accountable.”

According to U.S. Attorney Buchanan, the charges, and other information presented in court: On various dates between 2020 and 2022, Ian Alicea Prewett uploaded sexually explicit digital images of minors to Instagram. While he tried to conceal his online identity, in May 2023, federal agents identified him as the individual who uploaded the images and obtained a warrant to search his home. During the search, agents discovered a cell phone associated with the Instagram accounts that Prewett used to distribute child pornography.

Additionally, at the time agents executed the search warrant, Prewett was awaiting trial in Cobb County, Georgia, for statutory rape, child molestation, and child enticement.  Those charges resulted from Prewett chatting with a 14-year-old girl on Instagram, asking her to send him sexually explicit photographs of herself, meeting her at her school bus stop, engaging in sexual intercourse with her, and then dropping her off at her school.

Prior to his arrest in May 2023, Prewett used social media to entice numerous minors to create sexually explicit material and engage in sexual acts.  One of his victims was a minor under eight years old living in the United Kingdom. Prewett directed her to send him pictures and videos of herself performing sexual acts. Prewett also instructed a minor from Mobile, Alabama to do the same.  Prewett later traveled to Alabama to meet, photograph, and engage in sex acts with the minor.

Sentencing for Ian Alicea Prewett, 30, of Cartersville, Georgia, is scheduled for September 3, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. before U.S. District Judge William M. Ray, II in Rome, Georgia.

This case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Cobb County Police Department, Bartow County Sheriff’s Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, and Wiltshire Police (United Kingdom).

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Theodore S. Hertzberg and Calvin A. Leipold, III are prosecuting the case.

This case is being brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In February 2006, the Attorney General launched Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse.  Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices around the country, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov