A North Carolina man admitted in federal court that he coerced a Florida child into sending explicit content, a crime uncovered after authorities stopped him while he re-entered the country on a cruise ship.
Kaleb Harrison Childs, 26, of Charlotte, pleaded guilty on Oct. 14 to enticing a minor and producing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). His plea came after a joint investigation by federal agents and local sheriff’s deputies connected him to a 12-year-old victim in Okeechobee.
Federal filings show the communication started in February 2025 on a social media app. Although the victim said she was 13, she was actually 12. Prosecutors described a transactional exchange where Childs offered video game credits and gift cards for explicit images and videos.
The investigation came to a head in May 2025 when law enforcement arrested Childs as he stepped off a cruise ship returning to the U.S. After the arrest, agents searched his home and found hundreds of CSAM files.
Childs pleaded guilty to one count of enticement of a minor and one count of producing material involving the sexual exploitation of minors. He faces a maximum of life in prison for the enticement charge and up to 30 years for the production charge.
The announcement came from U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, alongside leaders from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office.
A federal district judge will issue the sentence after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Hoover is handling the prosecution.
Leave a Reply