Florida man sentenced to more than 7 years for child pornography
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Florida man was sentenced Thursday to seven years and six months in federal prison for transporting and possessing child pornography, to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
According to court records, Robert Earl Rice, 48, of Neptune Beach, used his email address to trade and receive videos of child pornography. He admitted to viewing and collecting child pornography from 2012 until April 2014, and he also admitted to using search terms to find child pornography on the Internet. Rice pleaded guilty June 24, 2015.
“Crimes against our children are deplorable and HSI special agents will not rest until these criminals are brought to justice,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa.
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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