Sean Kurt Paolo Macalacad, Child Exploitation and Receipt of Child Pornography, Florida 2024

Florida Man Sentenced to 18 Years for Child Porn and Sex Exploitation

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Sean Kurt Paolo Macalacad, 24, of Tallahassee, Florida, has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of children and one count of receipt of child pornography.

According to the Department of Justice, Macalacad was arrested after law enforcement received a Cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that a user of a social media account had transmitted five files constituting child pornography. The subsequent investigation revealed that the account belonged to Macalacad, an engineering student at Florida State University.

During the course of the investigation, law enforcement officers obtained search warrants for two of Macalacad’s cell phones. An examination of the first phone’s contents confirmed that Macalacad was in possession of multiple child pornography images and videos with victims as young as 6 months of age. Additionally, the first phone contained evidence that Macalacad was engaged in sexually explicit chats with a 15-year-old boy through another social media application.

Macalacad misrepresented his age by claiming to be younger and requested the minor to send sexually explicit photographs of himself. The search of the second phone revealed that it contained additional child pornography videos, and that it had been used to contact two 17-year-old boys through a social media application and obtain sexually explicit photographs of them.

“There is no greater charge than the protection of our children,” said U.S. Attorney Jason R. Coody. “This sentence is yet another example of the unwavering commitment to the protection of our most vulnerable and should serve as a significant deterrent to those who would attempt to harm them.”

Macalacad’s prison sentence will be followed by lifetime supervised release, and he will be required to register as a sex offender and will be subject to all sex offender conditions. The Court ordered forfeiture of electronic devices used in the commission of the offenses, including two cell phones.

This conviction was the result of a joint investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen prosecuted the case. The 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.

“The conviction of Macalacad for possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material is a solemn reminder of the profound harm inflicted upon innocent lives,” said Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tallahassee Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno. “It underscores our collective duty, alongside partners at the Leon County Sheriff’s Office, to safeguard the most vulnerable among us and to ensure that those who exploit and victimize children are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.

Justice has been served, but our commitment to protecting children remains steadfast.”

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