A law enforcement officer sent and requested nude photos over Snapchat during conversations with teens he met at a gym in Florida, federal officials say.
pleaded guilty to a charge of attempted online enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity in December and has now been sentenced to nearly 12 years in federal prison, the US Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida said in a Sept 27 release.The man, who worked at the sheriff’s office for 17 years before his arrest in June 2022, sent nudes to boys ages 16 to 18 years of age who he met at a gym, according to a sentencing memorandum.
The teen said he had to change the times he went to the gym to avoid the officer and ignored requests to send shirtless photos, according to the plea agreement. The Homeland Security officer acted as the teen and engaged the police officer in conversation on Snapchat. During these conversations in March 2022, the officer sent a nude video and a video in uniform and asked several times for nude videos, officials said.
In letters to the judge, his family and friends lauded his character and asked the judge to consider this when handing down the sentence. The man and his wife had five children together and raised them in the Catholic church, his wife said.