Florida man convicted on child pornography charges

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — A Florida man was convicted Friday of producing and possessing child pornography. The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Jackson County Sheriff's Office.

At trial, the government presented evidence that, on three occasions in September, October and November 2013, Charles Heath Stewart, 42, of Grand Ridge, knowingly enticed a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction. Additionally, evidence presented at trial showed that Stewart knowingly possessed pornographic images of children. Law enforcement officers discovered the sexually explicit images when they executed state and federal search warrants on Stewart's phone in 2014.

Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 4. For each count of production of child pornography, Stewart faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison, life on supervised release and a $250,000 fine. For possession of child pornography, Stewart faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, life on supervised release and a $250,000 fine.

This investigation was conducted under HSI's Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 12,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI's Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page. HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.