Lake County sex offender accused of using 13-year-old in child sex abuse video

Perry Cleotha’s gentry

A Lake County registered sex offender was charged with using a 13-year-old boy to produce a video about child sexual abuse.

Acting US prosecutor Karin Hoppmann has announced the filing of a criminal complaint against 60-year-old Perry Cleothas Gentry from Sorrento for using an underage child to produce a video showing sexually explicit behavior. Gentry faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years and up to 50 years in federal prison and a potential life sentence under custody. Gentry is a registered sex offender convicted in 1991 of a previous child sex offense.

According to court documents, Gentry was arrested by the Lake County Sheriff’s Office on May 5, 2021 for violating his sex offender registration requirements. A subsequent search of his cell phone revealed that he had videotaped his home using an internal camera security system. This video shows Gentry exposing the genitals of a 13-year-old boy in front of a camera in Gentry’s bedroom pointed toward his bed. After creating the video, Gentry uploaded a copy to his phone. Homeland Security agents were then able to identify the child.

A complaint is simply an indictment that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and each defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. It is being prosecuted by U.S. Assistant Attorney Michael P. Felicetta.

This is yet another case under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Justice Department initiative launched in May 2006 to tackle the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Under the direction of the U.S. Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Child Exploitation and Obscenity of the Criminal Investigation Department, Project Safe Childhood provides state, state, and local resources to locate, arrest, and prosecute those who sexually exploit and identify and identify victims of children to rescue. For more information on the Safe Childhood project, see www.justice.gov/psc.

Anyone who has been or knows of a possible childhood victim is urged to call HSI at 1-866-DHS-2423 or the HSI. to contact Online tip form.

Lake County sex offender accused of using 13-year-old in child sex abuse video