By HENRY FREDERICK / Headline Surfer
ORLANDO, FL – U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron has sentenced an Orlando man to 50 years in federal prison for producing, distributing, and possessing child sexual abuse material.
The judge Wednesday also ordered Engles to serve a 15-year term of supervised release, register as a sex offender, and forfeit his smartphone.
Engles, 33, pleaded guilty back on Sept. 8.
Here is a synopsis of the crimes committed by Engles, according to court documents and evidence presented during the sentencing hearing:
Engles posed as a 15-year-old boy and contacted multiple young girls (usually between the ages of 9 and 13) on social media applications. Using this persona, Engles persuaded and enticed the child victims to engage in sexual conduct via live video stream and video recordings. Engles also participated in chat rooms dedicated to the sharing of child sexual abuse material and rape, where he often bragged about and instructed others on how to exploit young girls via the internet.
During these chats, Engles distributed numerous videos and images of children, as young as infants, being sexually abused, and expressed in detail his desire to drug and rape children. Authorities conducted a forensic review of his smartphone and discovered more than 455 images and 148 videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants, toddlers, and prepubescent and pubescent children.
Todd Engles (shown here and above) posed as a 15-year-old boy and contacted multiple young girls (usually between the ages of 9 and 13) on social media applications. Using this persona, Engles persuaded and enticed the child victims to engage in sexual conduct via live video stream and video recordings. Engles also participated in chat rooms dedicated to the sharing of child sexual abuse material and rape, where he often bragged about and instructed others on how to exploit young girls via the internet. During these chats, Engles distributed numerous videos and images of children, as young as infants, being sexually abused, and expressed in detail his desire to drug and rape children. Authorities conducted a forensic review of his smartphone and discovered more than 455 images and 148 videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants, toddlers, and prepubescent and pubescent children.
This case was investigated by the Orlando Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Jennifer M. Harrington.
FAST FACTS: This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
