A convicted sex offender, Jacob Navarrette, was sentenced on Apr. 8 to 120 months in prison for possession of child sexual abuse material.
Navarrette, age 34 and from Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography. The case highlights ongoing concerns about monitoring individuals convicted of sex offenses after their release.
According to court documents, Navarrette had previously been sentenced in April 2020 by a federal judge in the U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma for possession of child pornography. As part of his sentence, he stayed at a transitional center in Wichita. In 2024, staff at the center discovered a contraband cellphone under his mattress that contained an instant messaging app and messages between Navarrette and someone who identified as a 17-year-old minor. The minor sent explicit photos at Navarrette’s request. Navarrette admitted to installing the app and using it to communicate sexually with several people, including minors.
“Unfortunately, Navarrette was back to committing child sex abuse crimes before he finished serving time for the offense that landed him in prison in the first place,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “This case is an example of why continued monitoring of sex offenders is crucial to protect our society and our children.”
The Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children task force investigated this case.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies.
