Lake County Man Pleads Guilty To Receiving Child Sex Abuse Material

Ocala, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Sara C. Sweeney announces that Bryce Fleetwood (26, Clermont) has pleaded guilty to two counts of receiving child sex abuse material (CSAM). Fleetwood faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison on each count, including a 5-year minimum term of imprisonment. Fleetwood is currently in federal custody pending the resolution of this case. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

According to the plea agreement, Fleetwood’s cellphone was seized by law enforcement during an unrelated state investigation. A search of Fleetwood’s cellphone pursuant to a search warrant revealed a significant amount of CSAM, including CSAM that Fleetwood had received over the internet on two occasions in 2022.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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 child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.