East Hill Man Sentenced for Distributing Child Pornography

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA –Kandel Markie Whiting, 35, of Pensacola, was sentenced to 90 months in prison today for receipt and distribution of child pornography.  Following his incarceration, he will serve 10 years on supervised release, and he must also register as a sex offender.  The sentence was announced by Christopher P. Canova, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

During his guilty plea on May 28, 2015, Whiting admitted that, between October 2014 and January 2015, he used the social media applications Twitter and Kik to share images of minors engaged in sex acts.  In January 2015, Whiting’s Twitter account was reported to law enforcement for containing images of child pornography.  When agents executed a federal search warrant at Whiting’s residence and seized his cellular telephone, they quickly located the illicit material within his social media applications.  Whiting then admitted to sharing child pornography online using Twitter and Kik.  Additionally, a forensic review of Whiting’s digital media revealed numerous child pornographic images and videos.

The case was investigated by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Pensacola Police Department, 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.  The case was 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