Lee County man pleads guilty to distributing child pornography

FORT MYERS, Fla. — A Fort Myers man pleaded guilty Friday to distributing child pornography following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), with assistance from the Sanibel Police Department, the Fort Myers Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Lee County Sheriff's Office.

According to the plea agreement, on Jan. 31, Charles Allen Nave III, 39, knowingly distributed child pornography over the Internet to an undercover agent he met in an online chat room. Nave sent the undercover agent four emails with attachments depicting images of child pornography. Following the execution of a search warrant, a forensic analysis of Nave's computer revealed more than 300 images and 20 videos of child pornography.

Nave faces between five and 20 years in federal prison.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423 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, 1-800-843-5678.

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.