Daytona Beach Men Plead Guilty to Producing Child Pornography

ORLANDO, FL—United States Attorney Robert E. O’Neill announces that Dennis Brian Devlin (57, Daytona Beach) today pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting Michael C. Ehmen (20, Daytona Beach) in the sexual exploitation of a child. Ehmen previously pled guilty to sexual exploitation of a child on April 5, 2011. Both men face a minimum of 15 years and a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.

According to the plea agreement, on or about January 20, 2011 and January 22, 2011, Devlin and Ehmen, aiding and abetting each other, persuaded and employed a 13-year-old child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of that conduct. On both dates, Ehmen drove the child to the Desert Inn in Daytona Beach, Florida, where Devlin, using an iPhone and video camera, took pictures and video of the child being made to engage in sexually explicit activity. Devlin, who lived and worked at the Desert Inn, and identified himself as the manager/owner of the resort, paid Ehmen for bringing the child to him for photographing. On February 2, 2011, agents executed a federal search warrant at the Desert Inn suites where Devlin lived, and found several iPhones and numerous CDs and DVDs concealed in the ceiling of Devlin’s bathroom. Agents conducted a forensic examination of the iPhones and, on one iPhone, found the sexually explicit images of the child. They also recovered 4 DVDs which contained video of the child, and audio of Devlin directing the child and offering the child money. Agents also found child pornography and/or child erotica images in Devlin’s suite and business office at the Desert Inn.

The 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 the 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 exploit children via the Internet, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov and click on the tab “other resources.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Karen L. Gable.