Indictment unsealed charging Birmingham lawyer with child exploitation offenses

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - A federal grand jury indictment was unsealed charging a Birmingham lawyer with child exploitation offenses, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Johnnie Sharp, Jr.

The two-count indictment filed in the U.S. District Court charges Chase Tristian Espy, 36, with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and possession of child pornography. Prosecutors said the charges involve events that occurred from March 2021 to August 2021.

Espy is a former member of Governor Kay Ivey’s staff.

Birmingham FBI’s Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force (CEHTTF) investigated the case along with the Homewood Police Department and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Leann White and Jonathan Cross are prosecuting the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

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