United States Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida
11/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/08/2024 14:25
Lake County Man Indicted For Receiving Child Sex Abuse Material
Ocala, Florida - United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Bryce Fleetwood (26, Clermont) with two counts of receipt of child sex abuse material (CSAM). If convicted, Fleetwood faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count, including a 5-year minimum term of imprisonment. Fleetwood is currently in custody pending the resolution of this case.
According to the indictment and evidence presented in court, on May 11 and November 15, 2022, Fleetwood, using an online social media messaging application, received CSAM depicting young children.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Lake County Sheriff's Office, and the Polk County Sheriff's Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg
It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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 child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.