Crestview Man Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA –Paul R. Bloom, 31, of Crestview, pled guilty today to production and receipt of child pornography.  The plea was announced by Pamela C. Marsh, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

During his plea, Bloom admitted to using a publicly available peer-to-peer file sharing network to receive child pornography.  During February and March 2015, undercover law enforcement agents downloaded sexually explicit video files that were traced to Bloom’s residence.  Agents executed a federal search warrant at Bloom residence and seized multiple pieces of digital media, including laptops and external hard drives.  An on-scene forensic review of the digital media revealed large amounts of child pornography.  While interviewing Bloom and reviewing the seized evidence, law enforcement agents determined that Bloom produced child pornography in his own home.  The child pornography produced by Bloom involved a nine-year-old female.  A final forensic review of Bloom’s digital media revealed more than 850 videos and 2,000 images of child pornography that he had received and/or shared over the last few years.

Sentencing is scheduled for September 4, 2015, at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola, Florida.  For the production of child pornography, Bloom faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years in prison, life on supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.  For the receipt of child pornography, Bloom faces a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison and a maximum of 20 years in prison, life on supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

The case is being investigated by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, Pensacola Police Department, Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the other agencies that are part of the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, whose joint investigation led to the charges in this case.  It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg.

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.  The office strives to protect and serve the citizens of the Northern District of Florida through the ethical, vigorous, and impartial enforcement of the laws of the United States, to defend the national security, to improve the safety and quality of life in our communities through the protection of civil rights, and to protect the public funds and financial assets of the United States.  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 http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.

For more information, contact:
Amy Alexander, Public Information Officer
(850) 216-3854, amy.alexander@usdoj.gov