Monday, 10 August 2026, 13:56
A former IT consultant at a Laguna Hills church was sentenced this week to 40 years in federal prison for secretly recording underage congregants and directing children overseas to produce child pornography. Jacob Melvin Hart, 46, of San Juan Capistrano, pleaded guilty to attempted production and transportation of visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of minors.
Federal prosecutors said Hart, while working as an IT consultant for the church, gave children laptops equipped with spyware. That software let him remotely activate the computers' cameras without the children's knowledge. Investigators say he secretly recorded at least eight minors in this way.
Court filings also showed that Hart directed children in Russia to produce child pornography. His electronic devices contained 33 videos of child sexual abuse and approximately 160 AI-generated sexual images of minors, according to civil lawsuits linked to the federal case.
Lawsuits filed against Crossline Community Church further allege that Hart gave juvenile congregants computers equipped with software that allowed him to secretly record them nude in their bathrooms. In the criminal case, federal prosecutors confirmed and the defense admitted that Hart secretly recorded minors through spyware installed on laptop computers and directed children overseas to produce child pornography.
The investigation began when U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents searched Hart's electronic devices at Miami International Airport. He was returning from a mission trip to Haiti. Agents found images and videos that prosecutors say Hart had directed children in Russia to create.
U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida said: "This defendant weaponized technology and abused positions of trust to invade children's most private spaces and sexually exploit them. The 40-year sentence means he will likely spend the rest of his life in federal prison. It protects children from a calculated predator."
Hart's criminal history dates back to 2006, when he was convicted in Oregon for secretly installing a hidden camera in a girls' locker room at a summer camp. Lawsuits filed against Crossline Community Church allege that church officials were aware of that conviction when they hired him in 2012 to manage audiovisual and computer-technology operations.
According to the lawsuits, Hart disclosed his conviction and a pornography addiction to his new bosses at Crossline. His defense attorney described Hart as a "thoroughly broken man" struggling with a "pernicious inner demon."
Hart's attorney, Reginald Tony Moss Jr., in a filing to a criminal court judge prior to Hart's sentencing, described Hart as a "thoroughly broken man" as a result of his "inability to corral his most pernicious inner demon." Moss also described Hart as suffering from deep depression during his childhood, adding that pornography served as a "pleasurable, if momentary, distraction from his ongoing inner turmoil."
The case has shaken Orange County's faith community. Crossline Community Church, located in Laguna Hills, employed Hart for years and sent him on mission trips, including the one to Haiti. The church has said its elders are "deeply grieved" by Hart's actions and the suffering he caused.
Church officials have described the situation as "tremendously difficult." They also noted that the church statement expressing grief was released after Hart admitted to the allegations.
Church officials said they proactively reached out to law enforcement, launched an independent investigation, and strengthened internal safety protocols, volunteer screenings, and hiring processes.
The church also said it has provided regular updates to the congregation since the allegations came to light.
The 40-year sentence ensures Hart will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. For parents and churches, the case is a stark reminder of the need for rigorous background checks and safeguarding measures. Church leaders in Laguna Hills say they have already taken steps to prevent similar abuses.
