FLORIDA, KEY WEST — A former U.S. Coast Guard serviceman has been sentenced to 235 months in prison for producing child pornography.
Drew Alexander Young, 24, of Key West, previously pled guilty to one count of production of visual depictions of sexual exploitation of minors, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2251(a) and (e).
According to court documents and information disclosed during the court proceedings, CGIS investigators executed a military search authorization and searched Young’s Samsung Galaxy S5 cellular telephone as part of a sexual harassment investigation. Investigators found over twenty video files containing suspected child pornography in Young’s phone.
Further investigation revealed a number of sexually explicit Kik Messenger chats between the defendant and girls as young as thirteen-years-old. During their review of the Kik Messenger chats, investigators discovered chats in which Young repeatedly solicited and received sexually explicit pictures of the minor girls.
This case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Rear Admiral Scott Buschman, United States Coast Guard Seventh District, and Thomas E. Robarge, Special Agent in Charge, United States Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) Southeast Region, made the announcement.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Christopher B. Browne. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
Related Federal Cases
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- Tallahassee School Registrar Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography · Florida
- Veteran Richard Dale Brooks Sentenced for Child Pornography · Florida
- Fort Myers Pedophile Gets 20-Year Sentence For Child Pornography · Florida
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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