U.S. Department
of Justice
Press Release
Tampa Man Arrested for Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida
Ocala, Florida – Aspen Chae Cartwright (21, Tampa) has been charged by indictment with distribution of child sexual abuse material. If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 5 years, and up to 20 years, in federal prison. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court records, in May 2025, Cartwright engaged in a sexually explicit conversation with an individual whom he believed was a 13-year-old girl. During that conversation, on May 22, 2025, Cartwright distributed an image depicting child sexual abuse material. The minor was actually an undercover agent from Homeland Security Investigations. Cartwright was later arrested and is currently detained pending the resolution of the criminal case.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations with assistance from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janette Swartzberg.
This case was 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 United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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.
Updated September 23, 2026
Topic
Project Safe Childhood
Component