Jonesboro man gets 30 years in federal prison for child porn and encouraging girls to self-harm

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – A Jonesboro man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for child pornography production and abusing young girls.

According to a spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of Arkansas, 44-year-old Justin Lee Palmer came to law enforcement’s attention after an FBI investigation that began in New Jersey in 2020.

In that initial investigation, investigators said they found a KIK online messaging platform user had sexually abused a 9-year-old girl and sent videos of the abuse to other KIK users. One of the users it was shared with used the online identifier “skipdinnergetmethin,” which investigators traced to Palmer.

Authorities said further investigation revealed Palmer would pretend to be a 15-year-old girl on the KIK platform and befriend teen and pre-teen girls and coach them on how to be anorexic.

Investigators said that as part of the coaching, Palmer would have girls send nude pictures of themselves pulling on body fat while nude to make them feel disgusted about their weight. He would also encourage them to film themselves drinking toilet water, drinking their urine and engaging in sexually explicit acts.

In one example, investigators cited Palmer messaging a 13-year-old girl on KIK and persuaded her to send 89 photos and videos of her, with 71 of them depicting the girl engaging in sexual, humiliating or self-harming acts. The girl told Palmer she was 5 foot, 1 inch tall and weighed 93 pounds with a goal weight of 75 pounds.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District Jonathan D. Ross had harsh words for Palmer.

“A vile, disgusting, reprobate has finally received his due, the maximum sentence under the law,” Ross said. “We are thankful for the tireless work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the bravery of the victims and their families to bring a stop to his crimes.

Ross added that parents should use this case as a lesson in monitoring and engaging with their children’s use of social media.

Palmer was indicted in October 2020 and pleaded guilty to the production of child pornography in Aug. 2023. His sentence includes a lifetime of supervised release once he completes his prison term.

There is no parole in the federal prison system.

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