Orlando man sentenced to prison for child pornography

Orlando, Fla. — An Orlando man was sentenced Monday to six years and six months in federal prison for receipt of child pornography. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Brevard County Sheriff's Office and Orange County Sheriff's Office.

In addition, Timothy Beaver, 49, was ordered to pay a $25,000 fine, to forfeit the computer equipment he used to commit the office and to serve a life term of supervised release.

"HSI actively works with our law enforcement partners in our shared fight against those who sexually exploit children. Removing predators from our communities and bringing them to justice is a responsibility we take very seriously," said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa.

According to court documents, Beaver used a file-sharing program to download more than 14,500 images and 300 videos depicting the sexual abuse and exploitation of mostly prepubescent boys for at least seven years. Beaver also purchased DVD recordings of child pornography from a Canadian website that was subsequently seized by law enforcement authorities. He pleaded guilty March 5. Prior to his conviction, Beaver volunteered as a deacon at a church in Oviedo.

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.