Florida man sentenced to more than 19 years for child pornography

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Florida man was sentenced to 19 years and seven months in federal prison Tuesday for producing and receiving child pornography over the Internet. He was also ordered to serve 10 years of supervised release and register as a sex offender. This case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, with assistance from the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office.

According to court documents, on Nov. 15, 2013, law enforcement agents executed a federal search warrant at the residence of John Dewey Todd, 61, of Fernandina Beach, during which they recovered several electronic devices. In an interview with agents, Todd admitted to having child pornography on his computers. He further admitted to collecting child pornography for a couple of years. At sentencing, prosecutors presented evidence that showed Todd had been collecting child pornography for 15 years. Todd pleaded guilty to the offenses Sept. 25.

Fifty-one media discs were found hidden in Todd’s attic containing at least 12,000 files of child pornography, including 550 videos and 11,500 still images. An additional 4,000 files of child pornography were found on other media. Todd’s collection included videos depicting thousands of instances of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, depictions of bondage, sadistic and masochistic conduct, and other portrayals of violence. Police also found five thumb drives in a jacket pocket hanging in Todd’s closet. Upon examination of the thumb drives, agents discovered four self-produced videos made by Todd, in which he secretly recorded the genitalia of prepubescent girls using the bathroom in his home.

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 10,000 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.