Orlando, Florida – In a harsh blow to a child predator, Chief U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway sentenced Don Osborne (42, Volusia County) to 27 years in federal prison for receipt and possession of child pornography. As part of his sentence, he was also ordered to serve a life term of supervision, following his incarceration.
Osborne pleaded guilty on August 20, 2013, for his heinous crimes. The court documents revealed that U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) began investigating an Internet Protocol (IP) address located at a coffee shop, where images of child pornography were available for download via a peer-to-peer file sharing program.
HSI special agents were able to download some of these child pornography images directly from Osborne. Further investigation revealed that Osborne often frequented the coffee shop and utilized their wireless Internet. On November 8, 2012, agents personally observed Osborne at the coffee shop, using a computer and a peer-to-peer file sharing program. The agents approached Osborne and interviewed him in the coffee shop. Osborne admitted to downloading child pornography, while using the Internet connection at that location.
A forensic analysis of Osborne’s computer revealed that it contained over 1,000 images of child pornography. At the time of this offense, Osborne was a registered sex offender for previous sex offenses in West Virginia and Florida, and was on probation for a previous sex offense in Florida.
“Child predators go to great lengths to view and trade child pornography online, including logging on to any unsecured wireless connection,” said Shane Folden, deputy special agent in charge of HSI Tampa, which oversees the agency’s Cocoa Beach office that conducted this investigation. “Our investigative techniques enabled us to identify this individual, even though he tried to use a public Wi-Fi connection to conceal his identity. I urge other child predators to take note – you cannot hide behind a public IP address.”
Osborne’s sentence is a testament to the tireless efforts of law enforcement agencies in combating child exploitation. The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn P. Napier as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime|Public Corruption|Child Exploitation
- Source: DOJ Press Release ↗
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