SAVANNAH, GA:  A former Richmond Hill police officer faces substantial prison time after his conviction in federal court for luring teen girls to meet him for sex, according to a press release from the U.S. Justice Department. 

A federal jury convicted Jeffrey Allen Allmond Jr., 25, of Richmond Hill, of one count of coercion and enticement of a minor, said Bobby L. Christine, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia. 

Allmond faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years to life in prison and must register as a sex offender after his release, the press release said. There is no parole in federal prison.

According to officials, evidence presented at trial revealed that Allmond, then a police officer, met two girls, ages 15 and 16, via the Tinder dating app. Allmond then communicated with the girls through Snapchat and arranged to pick them up in the middle of the night outside the gate of Fort Stewart, where the two lived on post. 

Allmond then drove the teens back to his apartment and performed sexual acts on both of them. Later that night, Allmond returned the girls to the Fort Stewart gate. Allmond continued communicating with the girls through Snapchat and met up with them twice more at his apartment where he performed sexual acts on them. 

The Richmond Hill Police Department asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to investigate the case and terminated Allmond after initial charges were filed. The U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division provided assistance during the investigation, according to to authorities. 

“This repugnant crime victimized the children of active-duty military personnel while disgracing the badge of a law enforcement officer,” Christine said. “Hard time in federal prison awaits those who would engage in such despicable behavior.” 

“We are glad that we were able to assist our fellow law enforcement agencies in bringing this individual to justice,” said Chris Grey, spokesman for the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. “We strive every single day to do everything possible to protect our soldiers, civilians and family members.”

“This law enforcement officer violated his oath of office by preying upon minors he swore to protect,” said GBI Director Vic Reynolds. “No one is above the law. The protection of innocent victims is a priority in the state of Georgia.”

“This conviction validates our department’s actions in immediately suspending, and then terminating, Allmond when the allegations came to our attention,” said Richmond Hill Police Chief Mitch Shores. “We take such betrayals of the public trust very seriously, and gave full assistance to the agencies that investigated and prosecuted this case.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tania Groover prosecuted the case for the United States.