PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Donovan E. Whidden, 21, of Pensacola, has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to online receipt of child pornography. The sentence comes after Whidden’s residence was searched and substantial evidence of his involvement with Discord and a cloud storage platform for child porn was found.
“Protecting innocent children from sexual predators remains one of our highest priorities,” said Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. “Our efforts have made our community safer.”
The Pensacola Police Department received cybertips in September 2023 from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that traced back to Whidden’s residence. He was already on state court probation for a 2022 conviction for Promoting Sexual Performance by a Child.
“Let this sentence be a reminder to anyone who wants to hurt our children that we will find you,” said Pensacola Police Chief Eric Randall. “We use every available law enforcement resource to get justice.”
Whidden’s prison term is followed by 10 years of supervised release, and he must register as a sex offender. “This recidivist predator showed no respect for humanity,” said Nicholas Integno, HSI Tallahassee Assistant Special Agent in Charge.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations, Pensacola Police Department, and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David L. Goldberg and Jessica S. Etherton. It is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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