David Paul Lynch (56, Venice) has been sentenced to 330 years in federal prison for traveling to the Philippines with the intent to sexually abuse children and produce child pornography. U.S. District Judge Virginia M. Hernandez Covington handed down the sentence in Tampa, Florida, marking one of the harshest penalties in recent years for international child exploitation.
Lynch was convicted on October 13, 2017, by a federal jury on multiple counts, including traveling with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, receiving and possessing child pornography, and producing sexually exploitative material involving minors. The evidence presented during trial revealed a long-running pattern of predatory behavior spanning over a decade, from 2005 to 2016, during which Lynch made repeated trips to the Philippines specifically to sexually exploit children.
Before each trip, Lynch used online communications to coordinate with local contacts in the Philippines, arranging access to underage victims. Authorities say he produced graphic child pornography involving at least three Filipino children during his visits and solicited additional material via email from a fourth. His arrest came on December 30, 2016, as he attempted to board a flight to the Philippines at San Francisco International Airport.
Simultaneous with his arrest, FBI agents executed a search warrant at Lynch’s home in Venice, Florida, where they seized computers and electronic devices containing dozens of self-produced videos and images of child sexual abuse. The digital evidence provided a damning trail linking Lynch directly to the exploitation of minors abroad. The court also ordered the forfeiture of his Florida home and all electronic equipment used in the commission of the crimes.
“The FBI is focused not only on the children being victimized here at home, but those across the globe who are being preyed upon by offenders,” said FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge Eric W. Sporre. “Thanks to our strong law enforcement partnerships, there are no borders in these types of cases and we can achieve great outcomes as demonstrated in this case.”
The investigation was a joint effort by the FBI, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Sarasota Police Department, the Cape Coral Police Department, the Bradenton Police Department, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jennifer L. Peresie and Eric K. Gerard as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. More information is available at www.justice.gov/psc.
Related Federal Cases
- Timothy A. Yeigh Charged in Sex Offender Registration Bust · West Virginia
- Yeigh Gets 8 Years for Sex Offender Registration Failure · West Virginia
- Morgan County Man Admits Failure to Update Sex Offender Registry · West Virginia
- Thomas Hill Gets 19 Years for Child Exploitation · Michigan
- Skipper Gets 5 Years for Child Porn · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
🔒 Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
Browse More
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
Sex CrimesSex CrimesSex CrimesSex Crimes