Milton Truck Driver Andre M. Straughn Gets 15.5 Years for Child Porn Crimes

Andre M. Straughn, 40, of Milton, Florida, is headed to federal prison for 15 ½ years after pleading guilty to receipt and transportation of child pornography, along with making false statements to a federal agent. The sentence, handed down in Pensacola, marks the end of a years-long investigation into a man who used his life on the road to hide a dark digital trail.

Law enforcement first flagged suspicious online activity tied to Straughn in July 2015. As a long-haul truck driver, he traveled across state lines with his laptop and cellular device, leveraging multiple electronic platforms to access and store child pornography. Agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Pensacola Police Department zeroed in on his movements and digital footprint after detecting file-sharing linked to illicit material.

When agents searched Straughn’s residence following one of his trips, he lied outright—claiming he had no online storage accounts, never used the messaging app Kik, and couldn’t recall his phone’s password. Forensic analysis proved otherwise. Investigators uncovered active cloud storage, a functioning Kik account, and more than 50,000 images and videos of child pornography spanning nearly a decade.

Straughn entered a guilty plea on June 2, 2016. The sheer volume and duration of the material painted a damning picture of premeditated, ongoing criminal behavior. His attempts to obstruct the investigation by giving false statements only added to his federal charges.

“Protecting our children from exploitation is a top priority of my office and the Department of Justice,” said United States Attorney Christopher P. Canova. “I commend the hard work of our prosecutors and law enforcement professionals who protect our communities and bring child predators to justice.”

“Our communities are safer today now that this criminal will spend the next 15 ½ years behind bars,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. The case was jointly investigated by HSI, the Pensacola Police Department, and agencies within the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney David L. Goldberg prosecuted. After prison, Straughn will face 10 years of supervised release and lifetime registration as a sex offender.