A former Clearfield woman was sentenced Thursday afternoon to 25 years in a federal correctional facility after entering pleas to two counts of production and attempted production of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor.

U.S. District Judge Stephanie L. Haines in Johnstown imposed the sentence on 31-year-old Amanda Nichelle Downs.

Downs and her husband, Jackson Curtis Martin III, 46, were charged in federal court after investigators from the Clearfield Police Department followed up on a tip they received in January 2019 about an image depicting child sexual exploitation being distributed on Facebook.

Clearfield police eventually filed state charges against Martin and Downs.

The department then notified Special Agent Jason Adams of the Department of Homeland Security about the material, and the federal government followed through with indictments against the couple.

Martin entered guilty pleas earlier this year and was sentenced by Haines on the federal charges to 35 years in prison.

Downs entered pleas to two counts of the production of child pornography, but Haines initially rejected the plea agreement because both Downs’ Johnstown defense attorney Arthur McQuillan and Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Sheehan-Balchon were recommending sentences for Downs within the 20-year range.

Haines said the recommended sentences were too low.

McQuillan, for instance, argued in a pre-sentence statement that 17 years would be enough to satisfy federal sentencing requirements.

Haines informed Downs that in view of the rejection of the plea agreement, she could withdraw her guilty pleas and proceed to trial.

Downs’ sentencing hearing was postponed to allow her to consider what to do.

On Thursday, Downs entered pleas to two counts of production or attempted production of material depicting the sexual exploitation of a minor.

The judge dismissed a third charge against Downs for the possession of pornographic material involving a child.

Martin in his appearance before the federal court, entered pleas to two counts of possession.

Downs’ sentence of 300 months was the same as Martin received for the same offenses.

Martin, however, received another 120 months on the possession charges.

According to a news release by the Department of Justice, the case was brought as part of the federal Project Safe Childhood Initiative led by the U.S. Attorneys’ offices and DOJ’s Criminal Division for Child Exploitation and Obscenity.

Downs and Martin still face state charges stemming from the investigation.

State court records indicate Martin is awaiting disposition and sentencing on 1,868 charges while Downs is listed for trial for 169 offenses involving child sexual abuse.