Jacob Hart sentenced to 40 years for child sex crimes and spyware scheme

Jacob Hart, 46, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for multiple child sex crimes. Hart previously served as a media director for Crossline Community Church in Laguna Hills, California, and as the creative director of The Global Mission.

His arrest occurred at Miami International Airport in June 2025 while traveling from Haiti. Authorities discovered a password-protected folder on his phone containing 33 videos of girls as young as 10, including content he reportedly directed minors in Russia to create. The folder also contained approximately 160 AI-generated images of nude prepubescent girls.

Investigations revealed that while working as an IT consultant for Crossline Community Church, Hart installed spyware on refurbished laptops he gifted to children of the church. He used this software to remotely activate webcams to spy on at least eight children while they were bathing or dressing. Hart pleaded guilty to attempted production and transportation of visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of minors.