Gainesville Man Receives 150-Year Sentence for Production of Child Pornography

GAINESVILLE, FL—Keith Edward Olmeda, 33, was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Stephan P. Mickle to 150 years in federal prison following Olmeda’s guilty plea to five counts of production of child pornography.

Olmeda’s offense came to light in 2009 when two children disclosed to their parents that they had been sexually abused while left in Olmeda’s care. Investigators later identified a witness who located a video camera belonging to Olmeda. The video camera contained numerous images of Olmeda sexually abusing four children, each under the age of 12 years old. The abuse occurred over a period of months. Investigators conducted a forensic examination of the camera and images, identifying the location and time each of the videos was created.

In pronouncing sentence, Judge Mickle stated that he could not understand how anyone could commit such a crime against a child in their care.

Praising the investigation, Mr. Kirwin stated, “This case was a model of collaboration between the United States Attorney's Office, the State Attorney's Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Gainesville Police Department. The sentence reflects the horrific nature of this crime, and makes clear that punishment for those who would abuse children for personal gratification or financial gain will be swift and severe.”

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Frank Williams.