Palm Harbor Man Sentenced To Federal Prison For Receiving And Possessing Child Sex Abuse Material

Tampa, Florida - U.S. District Judge Charlene E. Honeywell has sentenced Cody Robert Schoh (23, Palm Harbor) to 7 years and 11 months in federal prison for receiving and possessing child pornography. The court also ordered Schoh to forfeit the electronic devices he had used in the commission of the offense.

Schoh had pleaded guilty on August 16, 2019.

According to court documents, the FBI began an investigation after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that someone at Schoh's Palm Harbor residence had uploaded 94 files depicting child pornography to an online cloud storage system. The FBI executed a search warrant at Schoh's residence and seized his electronic devices. A forensic analysis of the devices revealed that Schoh was in possession of child sex abuse images and videos. Forensic analysts also found that Schoh had used a web-based messaging application to engage in sexual conversations with numerous individuals who appeared to be minors. He also received, transmitted, and possessed child pornography via the internet.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lisa M. Thelwell.      

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice 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 (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.