Yellowhammer Times

A Madison County man has been indicted on charges related to child sexual exploitation, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona.

Randy Steven Smith, 48, from Huntsville, Alabama, faces a four-count indictment in the U.S. District Court. The charges include one count of sexual exploitation of children, one count of receipt of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, and one count of transfer of obscene matter to a minor. These alleged incidents took place between 2023 and 2024 in Madison County.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force with support from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), U.S. Marshal Service, Homeland Security Investigations, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Etowah County Sheriff’s Office, and Huntsville Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney R. Leann White is handling the prosecution.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and involves federal, state, and local resources to locate and prosecute individuals exploiting children online while also identifying and rescuing victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

It is important to note that an indictment only contains charges; a defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.