By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
A Cedar City man remains jailed without bail after an FBI investigation linked him to paid subscriptions to a dark-web site offering child sexual abuse material.
James Joseph Simpkins, 49, was arrested Sept. 16 on suspicion of sexual exploitation of a minor, a second-degree felony.
While the FBI initiated the arrest, the Iron County Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case, Iron County Sheriff Ken Carpenter said.
Iron County sheriff’s deputies assisted FBI agents in serving a search warrant as part of an investigation into allegations that Simpkins used cryptocurrency to purchase or view the material, according to the arrest affidavit.
Investigators allegedly linked Bitcoin payments for subscriptions to the site to Simpkins’ verified Coinbase account.. An undercover FBI agent accessed the site and found videos depicting child sexual abuse. Access to one of the videos required a paid subscription.
Records obtained through a search warrant to Coinbase identified Simpkins as the account holder and listed his Cedar City home address, according to court documents. Investigators also traced one associated internet address to his property. Other addresses were associated with a virtual private network, or VPN.
While serving the search warrant, investigators reportedly found transactions on the Coinbase app on Simpkins’ phone that matched payments previously identified in the investigation..
After being advised of his rights, Simpkins allegedly acknowledged during a police interview that he knew about the dark web but denied using it.
Investigators then found the Tor app, which can be used to access the dark web, on his phone. Simpkins acknowledged having the app, the affidavit states.
Fifth District Judge Meb Anderson ordered Simpkins held without bail the evening of Sept. 16. The order cited substantial evidence supporting the charge and a finding that Simpkins would pose a substantial danger to another person or the community, or was likely to flee if released.
A detention hearing followed Sept. 17, and Simpkins made his initial appearance Sept. 18. He remains in the Iron County Jail without bail.