Former Spokane chef Jonathan P. Holden received a 20-year sentence in federal prison for multiple sexual offenses involving children across the country.
Holden, a 44-year-old Mead resident, pleaded guilty on multiple charges, including three counts of attempted or actual child pornography production and a count of attempted online enticement of a minor, according to a press release from Joseph Harrington, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
District Judge Salvador Mendoza Jr. handed down a sentence that includes 20 years in prison followed by 20 years of court supervision for Holden.
The former chef was caught during a sting operation conducted by the Internet Crimes Against Children task force on Feb. 6, 2018, when Holden sent sexually explicit messages to an undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl, according to the news release. Holden had arranged to meet with the officer posing as a girl in Richland during the conversation.
Various devices of Holden’s revealed that he had been communicating with children in a sexual manner for years in different parts of the country, according to the release. Three of the victims he communicated with ranged in age from 13 to 17 years old and lived in places such as Atlanta, Houston and Las Vegas.
Another victim told investigators she had been sexually abused by Holden when she was 13 years old, according to the news release.
Harrington used the case to warn parents about the dangers of online predators.
“Parents, please speak with your children about the dangers of chatting online so we can keep all our children safe,” Harrington said. “This case demonstrates the importance of undercover online enticement sting operations by law enforcement and their effectiveness in apprehending child predators.”
