Volusia County man sentenced to 27 years for receipt, possession of child pornography

ORLANDO, Fla. – A Volusia County man was sentenced Thursday to 27 years in federal prison for receipt and possession of child pornography. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

Don Osborne, 42, must also serve a lifetime of supervised release following his prison term.

According to court documents, HSI special agents began investigating an Internet Protocol (IP) address where images of child pornography were available for download via a peer-to-peer file-sharing program. They downloaded images and traced that IP address to a local coffee shop. Further investigation revealed Osborne often frequented the coffee shop and utilized their wireless Internet. On Nov. 8, 2012, special agents personally observed Osborne at the coffee shop, using a computer and a peer-to-peer file-sharing program. They approached and interviewed him there. Osborne admitted to downloading child pornography while using the Internet connection at that location. A forensic analysis of Osborne’s computer revealed more than 1,000 images of child pornography.

"Child predators go to great lengths to view and trade child pornography online, including logging on to any unsecured wireless connection," said Shane Folden, deputy special agent in charge of HSI Tampa, which oversees the agency’s Cocoa Beach office that conducted this investigation. "Our investigative techniques enabled us to identify this individual, even though he tried to use a public Wi-Fi connection to conceal his identity. I urge other child predators to take note – you cannot hide behind a public IP address."

At the time of this offense, Osborne was a registered sex offender for previous sex offenses in West Virginia and Florida. He was on probation for a previous sex offense in Florida.

Osborne pleaded guilty Aug. 20.

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.