SAN ANTONIO – A U.S. district judge sentenced a 36-year-old San Antonio man to 898 years in federal prison after officials said he was convicted in February of 29 counts of various bank fraud and child pornography related offenses.
In addition, U.S. District Judge Fred Biery ordered that Gemase Lee Simmons, 36, pay $52,788.12 in restitution and a special assessment of $3,900.
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Officials said Simmons has been in federal custody since his arrest in Jan. 2012.
"This man abused and exploited his victims in unspeakable ways," said U.S. attorney Robert Pitman. "This sentence will ensure that he will not pose a risk to the public again."
On Feb. 11, following a six-day bench trial, Judge Biery convicted Simmons of six counts of bank fraud, four counts of extortion and 29 counts of sexual exploitation of a child, including production, distribution, transportation, receipt and possession of child pornography.
Testimony and evidence introduced during trial established that between May 2011 and Jan. 2012, Simmons and others at his direction knowingly engaged in an approximate $70,000 check kiting scheme using local bank accounts.
Officials said Simmons directed other individuals to withdraw cash from bank accounts he and others established using checks drawn on other bank accounts, which authorities said Simmons knew either had insufficient funds or were closed.
Testimony also revealed that Simmons and others used those proceeds to implement and further a child exploitation scheme.
Acting as himself and by assuming fake personas, U.S. attorneys said Simmons recruited, enticed and coerced over 100 minors and adults, male and female, to engage in sexually explicit conduct and recorded the activity under the pretenses of helping them establish a modeling career.
In addition, testimony revealed that Simmons often times transmitted the images and videos of sexually explicit conduct to his female victims as a means to control them, according to U.S. attorneys.
Simmons then threatened to release the sexually explicit material publicly if the victims did not comply with his requests for additional images and sexual activity, officials said.