Child Pornography Ring Busted in Panama City

A 43-year-old man from Panama City, Florida, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for receiving and possessing child pornography.

Robert E. Eldridge, 43, of Panama City, was sentenced to serve 180 months in federal prison for receipt and possession of child pornography on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

Eldridge pled guilty in January to two counts of receiving and possessing child pornography, admitting that between January 1, 2012, and March 21, 2012, he downloaded in excess of 35 videos and 160 still images containing child pornography from a peer-to-peer network.

He also admitted to having a preference for minor females around 12 years of age, according to court documents.

The defendant faced a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years on Count One of his indictment and a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years on Count Two due to a prior conviction for Promoting Sexual Performance of a Child.

Eldridge was also sentenced to a 10-year term of supervised release, which he will be required to serve upon completion of his prison sentence.

U.S. Attorney Pamela C. Marsh stated: “Protecting children from sexual exploitation is one of the highest priorities of this Office. We will continue our partnership with state, local, and federal law enforcement agents to ensure that offenders are prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

Marsh praised the Bay County Sheriff’s Office and agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) who assisted in the investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn Risinger.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the government in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Robert E. Eldridge, 43, of Panama City, Florida, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for receiving and possessing child pornography on Thursday, March 21, 2024.

The exact criminal charges against Eldridge were two counts of receiving and possessing child pornography.

The city and state where the crime took place are Panama City, Florida.

The defendant, Robert E. Eldridge, received a sentence of 180 months in federal prison.

This article is part of our ongoing coverage of crime in Florida.

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