Florida man sentenced to more than 13 years for child pornography
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Florida man was sentenced Wednesday to 13 years and four months in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for transporting child pornography. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Nassau County Sheriff's Office, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The judge also ordered him to forfeit the laptop computer and cellphone that he had used to commit the offense. Nicholas Mitko Clark, 22, of Yulee, pleaded guilty Jan. 13, 2015.
According to court documents, in April 2013 Clark used an instant messaging service to chat with an individual in Canada, with whom he exchanged child pornography. During the chat, Clark requested that the individual send him child pornography and advised that he likes children between the ages of and 8 and 13. After receiving an image depicting a young child, Clark responded that he already had that file and requested another one. Clark and the individual proceeded to exchange additional files of child pornography. Through their investigation, law enforcement agents obtained Clark's cellphone and recovered several additional images of child pornography.
At the time of his arrest, Clark was employed as an afterschool counselor by a youth development organization in northeast Florida, and worked with children through various churches. He also advertised his baby-sitting and child transportation services on the Internet.
"This case is especially egregious, as this pedophile actively sought to work with children, in places they should feel safe and secure," said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. "HSI special agents, and our law enforcement partners like the Nassau County Sheriff's Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, will continue to work diligently to protect our children from predators."
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.
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