PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Michael D. Whitacre, Jr., 31, of Pensacola, Florida, was sentenced in federal court for engaging in a child exploitation enterprise, distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography involving minors under 12 years of age. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said, “This case was the result of excellent investigative work by the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI to identify and dismantle this heinous network of sexual predators peddling the most vile images and videos of child exploitation and sexual abuse imaginable. My office remains committed to aggressively prosecuting and seeking maximum punishment for anyone who engages in these disgusting crimes, and we will not stop until our kids are safe.”
Court documents reflect that Whitacre was part of an encrypted online group who shared significant amounts of graphic child pornography. There were over 70 members of the illicit group, which operated in early 2025. The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, with the support of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was initially notified about Whitacre’s online actions via a cybertip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. A forensic analysis conducted by an expert at Homeland Security Investigations revealed a wealth of child sexual abuse material on Whitacre’s cellular telephone along with his access to the online child exploitation enterprise.
After serving his term of 20 years’ imprisonment, Whitacre will have to register as a sexual offender. He was also ordered to pay $16,000 in restitution to the victims.
“Every image shared by Mr. Whitacre represents the real abuse of a child,” said FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley. “By sharing and trading abusive images, he helped fuel a cycle of harm. This sentence reflects our commitment to holding offenders accountable and protecting the most vulnerable members of our community.”
“Protecting our children is our highest priority,” said Sheriff Chip Simmons, Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. “When local and federal law enforcement work side by side with the U.S. Attorney's Office, we send a clear message: anyone who preys on children will be arrested, prosecuted, and held accountable.
The case involved a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov .
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl .
Source: U.S. Attorney’s Office — Northern District of Florida — U.S. Department of Justice press release.