Jason T. Bernard, 52, a sales manager at Macadoodles and a part-time sports-radio host with Art Hains on Sports Talk, has been charged with the sexual exploitation of children.
Federal documents allege that at one point a teenage girl in North Carolina who was sending Bernard nude photos and videos, for money, also blackmailed him; she had kept packages he had sent her — reportedly containing alcohol and sex toys — that had his identifying information on them.
The federal charge was supported by a sworn statement submitted to prosecutors by a Greene County Sheriff's deputy assigned to investigate computer crimes involving children.
Local investigators reviewing Bernard's computer activities were notified in March that law enforcement in Beaufort County, North Carolina, were also investigating Bernard.
According to federal online court documents, a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina had sent Bernard nude images and videos of herself for money.
“Jane Doe said Bernard was the person who got her started recording herself doing sexual acts because he would pay her for the videos,” the charging documents read. “Jane Doe said she was 13 years old when she began communicating with Bernard.”
The girl told police in North Carolina that Bernard would pay her $250 a week and would “pay more on occasion depending on what she did for him.”
The girl also allegedly blackmailed Bernard.
“Jane Doe said she requested Bernard send her $500 to get rid of the packaging from the items (that) had his information on them,” the charging documents read. “Jane Doe said she requested Bernard send her $500 to get rid of the packaging and said Bernard sent her $500.”
In addition, in March, the girl allegedly told Bernard he was being investigated “in an attempt to get him to send her more money. Jane Doe said Bernard did not respond to the message.”
The girl allegedly told investigators that she never met Bernard, but that he offered her up to $10,000 to come to meet him. She allegedly declined.
She also said he sent her $500 so she could buy a train ticket to meet him.
“Jane Doe said she kept the money and then blocked Bernard from her social media accounts.”
An investigator “asked Jane Doe if she and Bernard discussed Jane Doe's age. Jane Doe said she had been truthful with Bernard about her age and said, ‘yea, that's why he liked me.'”
The girl also allegedly told investigators that approximately 20 to 30 others were following her “private story,” which included nude images and videos.
Bernard allegedly made 21 payments to the girl from Aug. 4, 2021 to Dec. 10, 2021 for a total of $1,675.
In addition, according to court documents, he also allegedly paid her $1,535 from Oct. 14, 2020 to June 2, 2021.
In addition to the above allegations involving the girl in North Carolina, local investigators also allegedly found Bernard in possession of numerous sexually explicit photos of prepubescent girls as young as 4 to 6 years old, according to court documents.
Bernard was interviewed by law enforcement and allegedly said — not in his words —that he admitted to communicating with approximately four other minors via the internet and that he purchased sexually explicit images from those minors as well.”
Bernard was arrested May 5. He is in the Greene County jail. A bond has not been set.
