Hendry County Man Found Guilty of Production of Child Pornography

FORT MYERS, FL—A jury in U.S. District Court today found Bobby Henry Holt, (age 40, of Hendry County) guilty of possession of child pornography, production of child pornography, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, and conspiracy to commit witness tampering. Holt faces a minimum of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of 30 years. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 8, 2009.

According to testimony presented at trial, from July 2007, through November 2007, Holt produced child pornography depicting a minor female. The Lee County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at his residence on February 15, 2008 and found pornographic images of a child on his cellular phone and digital camera. Officers also located two rifles under Holt’s bed. In August 2008, the defendant conspired to locate and corruptly persuade a witness to the production of child pornography to deny the incident to agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This case was investigated by Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. 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 better 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.