Winter Haven Man Sentenced to More Than Six Years for Possession of Child Pornography

TAMPA—U.S. District Judge Susan C. Bucklew sentenced Nathaniel McAlpine (34, Winter Haven) today to 80 months in federal prison for possession of child pornography. The court also ordered McAlpine to forfeit several computers and hard drives, as well as other computer equipment, all of which facilitated the commission of the offense. McAlpine pled guilty on February 22, 2012. According to court documents, on August 3, 2007, pursuant to a complaint that depictions of child pornography had been posted on the Internet, a federal search warrant was executed at Nathaniel McAlpine’s residence. During the execution of the search warrant, agents searched McAlpine’s residence and examined his computers and hard drives. A forensic examination of his computers revealed 618 images and 19 videos of child pornography on those computers and hard drives. Later, when federal agents went to McAlpine’s residence to arrest him for possession of child pornography, they found an additional 903 images and three videos of child pornography on his computers and hard drives.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Joseph Swanson.

It is another 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, 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.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”