Frank Earle Noyes III Pleads Guilty to Child Porn, Enticement

Frank Earle Noyes III, a 51-year-old Palm Beach County resident, pleaded guilty to producing child pornography and enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity. The charges stem from a predatory online exchange targeting a 12-year-old girl in Minnesota, marking another grim chapter in the federal crackdown on child sexual exploitation.

Noyes entered his guilty plea on October 19, 2016, before U.S. District Judge Kenneth A. Marra in West Palm Beach, Florida. He admitted to one count of production of child pornography under Title 18, United States Code, Section 2251, and one count of enticement of a minor under Section 2422(b). He faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and up to 30 years on the production charge, and a minimum of 10 years with the possibility of life in prison on the enticement count. Sentencing is scheduled for January 20, 2017.

Court documents reveal Noyes initiated an online chat with the 12-year-old girl and sent her child pornographic images he had produced, depicting a 5-year-old minor engaged in illegal sexual conduct. During the same conversation, he repeatedly pressured the child to send explicit images of herself. The digital trail led investigators to uncover even more disturbing material—additional child pornography on Noyes’ phone showing a 3-year-old girl subjected to sexual abuse.

The FBI’s Miami Field Office, led by Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro, moved swiftly on the case, working in tandem with the Plymouth Police Department in Minnesota, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, and the South Florida Minor Vice Task Force. Evidence seized included digital files and chat logs that laid bare the calculated nature of Noyes’ crimes.

This case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a DOJ initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the surge in online child exploitation. Spearheaded by U.S. Attorneys and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, the program integrates federal, state, and local efforts to identify, apprehend, and convict offenders while rescuing victims. More at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer, Southern District of Florida, praised the investigative collaboration that led to Noyes’ arrest and guilty plea. The case was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lothrop Morris and Ellen Cohen. Court records are available via the Southern District of Florida’s public docket at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.