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Port St. Lucie Tattoo Artist Pleads Guilty to Child Sex Abuse
A disturbing case of child sex abuse has come to light in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Dustin Singleton, a 42-year-old tattoo artist, pleaded guilty to producing child sexual abuse material, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
On April 29, 2022, a traffic stop in Stuart, Florida, led to the discovery of a large stash of narcotics and firearms in Singleton’s vehicle. The Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) detectives found 32.86 grams of methamphetamine with a purity level of 98%, approximately 5 grams of cocaine, less than a gram of fentanyl, approximately 195 grams of marijuana, several glass pipes, hypodermic needles, a loaded Smith & Wesson, Bodyguard .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol, a loaded Glock type 9mm pistol built from a Polymer80 PF940C kit (“Glock clone”), several unused baggies, several pill bottles with various controlled substances, $1,104.00 in U.S. currency, 10 cellphones, and three tablets in Singleton’s vehicle.
Singleton is a convicted felon and prohibited by law from possessing firearms. Further investigation revealed that he had exchanged narcotics and tattoos for sexual activity with minor females at his Port St. Lucie tattoo shop.
In July 2022, a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent and two MCSO detectives received information that Singleton, aka “Greenhouse,” exchanged narcotics and tattoos for sexual activity with minor females at his Port St. Lucie tattoo shop. Two rounds of search warrants were obtained – the first one for narcotics and the second one for child sexual abuse material, which targeted Singleton’s electronic devices. Forensic examinations of the devices revealed numerous images of Singleton and Elijah Daniel Shaw, both engaging in sexually explicit activity with a freshly tattooed 13-year-old minor female victim—recorded inside the tattoo shop.
On August 2, 2022, law enforcement arrested Shaw, who identified images/videos of himself, Singleton, and the 13-year-old minor female victim and confirmed that the video was recorded inside Singleton’s tattoo parlor. A HSI special agent applied for additional search warrants for Singleton’s and Shaw’s social media and iCloud accounts. Forensic Examiners located numerous videos of child sexual abuse material, spanning six hours, including videos of Singleton tattooing the 13-year-old, and later holding a smoking glass pipe for the victim, while he and Shaw both engaged in sexually explicit activity with her. Investigators located videos revealing two additional minor victims, each 17 years of age, engaging in sexually explicit activity with Singleton. Singleton had secretly recorded himself having sex with the minors, using his tattoo shop’s video surveillance system, which he saved in his iCloud.
Singleton faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and up to 30 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for each of the three counts of producing child sexual abuse material. In addition, he will be required to register as a sex offender. For the drug distribution charge, Singleton faces up to 20 years in prison, followed by at least 3 years of supervised release. For the firearm charge, Singleton faces up to 10 years in prison, followed by supervised release for up to 3 years.
United States Attorney Markenzy Lapointe and acting Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Buckley, HSI, Miami, announced the guilty plea. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. government to combat the growing epidemic of child sex abuse.
This case is a stark reminder of the dangers of child sex abuse and the importance of reporting suspicious activity to the authorities. We urge anyone with information about this case to come forward and assist in the investigation.
Defendant Information: Dustin Singleton, 42, of Hobe Sound, Florida.
Criminal Charges: Three counts of producing child sexual abuse material, possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
City and State: Port St. Lucie, Florida.
Exact Date: April 29, 2022 (arrest date).
Sentence or Outcome: Guilty plea.
Dollar Amounts: $1,104.00 in U.S. currency found in Singleton’s vehicle.
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Sex Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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