SEATTLE — James “Jake” Harrison Newcomer, a 28-year-old registered sex offender, pleaded guilty Friday in U.S. District Court in Seattle to federal charges related to sexually abusing children and teens, according to a release from the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Prosecutors say Newcomer admitted to the alleged sexual abuse between February and April 2024. Prosecutors say the victims he met online range in age from 12 to 16.
Newcomer was under state supervision following a 30-month prison sentence for two counts of rape of a child.
He was required to wear an ankle monitor, but it lost connection in January 2024 after he left his home and couldn’t be located after law enforcement went to his home to arrest him, according to a DOJ release.
During the following months, Newcomer used social media to connect with teen girls and provided them with drugs and alcohol before sexually assaulting them, prosecutors say.
The victims were from various counties in Washington, including King, Kitsap, Snohomish, Lewis, Clark, Thurston, and Spokane counties, as well as in Woodburn, Oregon.
Newcomer pleaded guilty to charges of travel with intent to engage in sexual acts with a minor and two counts of attempted enticement of a minor, according to the U.S. District Court.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Newcomer will be sentenced on November 17. The DOJ says both prosecutors and defense attorneys will recommend a 17-year sentence.
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