Fort Myers man charged with possession of child pornography

FORT MYERS, Fla. — A Fort Myers man was charged via criminal complaint Jan. 27 with possession of child pornography. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from the Fort Myers Police Department.

According to the criminal complaint, from approximately April 2009 through June 2012, Kevin Charles Kaszynski, 48, possessed child pornography. While going through boxes at a leased storage unit, his wife uncovered a computer hard drive, along with other items belonging to her husband. On Aug. 27, Kaszynski’s wife accessed the hard drive and opened a file which depicted a prepubescent girl in a sexual pose. She turned the hard drive over to law enforcement for further investigation. On Sept. 5, agents obtained a search warrant for the external hard drive. A forensic analysis of the external drive revealed more than 7,000 images and more than 400 videos depicting child pornography.

If convicted, Kaszynski faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison.

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 2013, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.

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. 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.