A Clearfield couple, Jackson Curtis Martin, 46, and Amanda Nichelle Downs, 31, are scheduled to be sentenced this week in the U.S. District Court in Johnstown for the production of child pornography and for sending the materials to another person.

According to court documents, Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon is seeking a prison sentence of 35 years for Martin and 20 years for Downs.

Martin is scheduled for sentencing today, while Downs is expected to be sentenced Thursday, with both defendants appearing before U.S. District Judge Stephanie L. Haines.

The couple entered guilty pleas earlier this year to creating material depicting sexual exploitation of a minor and to transferring the material to a third party.

The federal charges were brought on the heels of an investigation by the Clearfield Borough Police Department that began on Jan. 9, 2019, with the examination of electronic devices owned by both Martin and Downs.

The two were arrested by Clearfield police on

Nov. 24, 2019, for rape of a child, statutory sexual assault, aggravated indecent assault and charges related to the production, distribution and possession of images and videos depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

In 2020, agents from the federal Department of Homeland Security became involved, and the department’s investigation eventually led to the additional charges brought in the U.S. District Court in Johnstown.

One cellphone seized from Martin contained 150 images of a nude female minor engaged in sexual conduct with an adult male, according to the federal affidavit of probable cause.

A cellphone seized from Downs shows an adult male raping a minor female as the child attempted to push the male away.

The federal sentencing memorandum against Martin stated that in most child pornography cases, the offenses do not involve direct contact with the children, but, it reasons, “The defendant’s direct victimization requires punishment that reflects the seriousness of his offenses, serves the ends of justice and protects the community.”

The memorandum addressed the defendants’ position that the video of the rape of the child was not widely distributed.

But it continued, “It defies logic to believe that the videos of rape and child sexual exploitation produced by (Martin and Downs) are not available on the internet and that (the minor victims) will not live the rest of their lives fearing that others will discover them.”

Martin’s attorney, Douglas Sughrue, in his sentencing memorandum, argued that his client should receive only a 30-year sentence, noting that the additional five years requested by federal authorities “does not have any federal interest, especially in light of the state sentence he will have to serve.”

The defense attorney was pointing out Martin will face an additional sentence (possibly 10 to 20 years) in Clearfield County.

Sughue also stated that Martin has expressed sorrow for his actions.

The federal sentencing document for Downs stated that she “violated the trust and dignity of a child.”

It noted that while Downs also expressed regret at what occurred, the government clarified that her remorse focused on how the case impacted her life, not the child’s life.

“Here, not only did the defendant steal the innocence of her child victim — she produced a permanent record of it,” according to the government document.

“The defendant has irrevocably harmed Minor A (referring to the child victim) and has shown little remorse for the damage and violence that she caused,” stated the government’s sentencing memorandum.

Defense attorney, Arthur T. McQuillan, asked that Downs receive only a 17-year sentence, which he stated would be “more than sufficient.”

He called the federal request for a 20-year sentence “overly harsh” and stated, “a fair and just term of incarceration will adequately protect society, continue to teach Ms. Downs the painful lesson, which she has been learning for the past four years, provide needed sexual offender treatment and serve as a fundamental and final deterrent to any future criminal conduct.”

Both Martin and Downs will be required to registered as sex offenders for the rest of their lives, according to federal court papers.