Joshua Tripp, Child Exploitation, Florida 2022

Tampa, Florida – In a shocking case involving one of the darkest corners of human depravity, the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, Roger B. Handberg, announced the return of an indictment charging Joshua Tripp (42, Clearwater) with three counts of distributing and one count of possessing child sex abuse material.

Tripp, a three-time convicted sex offender with prior felony convictions for aggravated sexual exploitation of a minor, aggravated statutory rape, and lewd and lascivious molestation, faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 15 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison for each distribution count and a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment for the possession count.

Tripp's roommates, Craigan Joyner (20, Clearwater) and Donald Shadowens (30, Clearwater), were also charged with one count of receiving and one count of possessing child sexual abuse materials. If convicted, each faces a minimum mandatory penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years, for the receipt count and up to 10 years' imprisonment for the possession count.

According to the court documents, Tripp, Joyner, and Shadowens all lived together at the same residence in Clearwater. On August 18, 2022, investigators executed a search warrant at the home and discovered more than 1,000 images and videos of child sexual abuse material on the defendants' devices. This material included the sexual abuse of children under the age of 12 and sado-masochistic images of children.

Tripp, Joyner, and Shadowens made their initial appearances before the Honorable Christopher P. Tuite on August 19, 2022. Tripp and Joyner were detained pending trial, while Shadowens was released on a bond with conditions.

Tripp, Joyner, and Shadowens will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Erin Claire Favorit. This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the federal government to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/pr/three-time-convicted-sex-offender-and-roommates-charged-child-exploitation-offenses