OCALA, FL – Bryce Fleetwood, a 26-year-old resident of Clermont, Florida, will spend the next quarter-century behind bars for sickening crimes against children. United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber handed down a 25-year federal prison sentence to Fleetwood today, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, after he pleaded guilty on February 27, 2025, to receiving child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
The case unfolded after law enforcement seized Fleetwood’s cellphone during a completely separate, unrelated state investigation. What they found on that device was a digital cesspool: a staggering 850 videos and 120 photographs depicting the sexual abuse of children, many of whom appeared to be very young. Investigators quickly traced the source, discovering that Fleetwood had actively sought out and downloaded this horrific content over the internet on two separate occasions in 2022.
“You can’t hide from our Homeland Security Investigations special agents and our law enforcement partners,” stated HSI Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Pezzutti, a stark warning to anyone considering similar depravity. “Another child predator off our streets.” Pezzutti’s statement underscores the relentless pursuit of those who prey on the vulnerable, and the collaborative effort required to bring them to justice.
The investigation was a joint effort between Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, demonstrating a united front against child exploitation. Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg skillfully prosecuted the case, ensuring Fleetwood faced the full weight of the law for his heinous actions. The sheer volume of CSAM discovered on Fleetwood’s phone paints a disturbing picture of a calculated and deliberate obsession.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the escalating epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program, spearheaded by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, pools resources at the federal, state, and local levels to identify, apprehend, and prosecute perpetrators, and crucially, to locate and rescue child victims. It’s a grim reminder that the fight against this form of abuse is far from over.
Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the ongoing efforts to dismantle networks involved in the creation and distribution of CSAM. Those seeking more information about Project Safe Childhood can visit www.justice.gov/psc. This sentence, while significant, offers little solace to the victims whose lives have been irrevocably damaged by Fleetwood’s actions. The priority now must be on prevention and protecting the most vulnerable members of our society.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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