September 15, 2015

Pensacola Man Sentenced to 240 Months for Receipt of Child Pornography

PENSACOLA, FL—Shawn P. Caldwell, 36, a registered sex offender who resides in Pensacola, Florida, was sentenced to 240 months in prison yesterday for receipt of child pornography. The sentence was announced by Christopher P. Canova, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

During an undercover operation, law enforcement officers discovered Caldwell was in possession of 76 child pornography files at his Pensacola residence. At his plea hearing on June 24, 2015, Caldwell admitted that, between April 2011 and April 2015, he received child pornography images and videos from the Internet, which he downloaded from several peer-to-peer programs. A forensic review of Caldwell’s electronic devices revealed approximately 263 videos and more than 1,000 images of child pornography, including images of children under the age of 12.

The charges were the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Pensacola Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey Tharp.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. The office strives to protect and serve the citizens of the Northern District of Florida through the ethical, vigorous, and impartial enforcement of the laws of the United States, to defend the national security, to improve the safety and quality of life in our communities through the protection of civil rights, and to protect the public funds and financial assets of the United States. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.