PANAMA CITY MAN SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR RECEIPT OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Chad Ryan Puffinbarger, 39, of Panama City, Florida, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, for receipt of child pornography. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “The distribution of child sexual abuse material is a heinous, disgusting crime that has the effect of re-victimizing the innocent children who have been exploited each and every time those disturbing videos and photographs are shared. Our outstanding state and federal law enforcement partners remain committed to identifying, targeting, and arresting those sick predators who seek to sexually exploit our children, and my office will continue to back up those arrests with successful prosecutions and federal prison sentences.”

Court documents reflect that the defendant came under investigation in 2021 when it was suspected he had been using a peer-to-peer network to download child pornography from the internet. Law enforcement sought a search warrant for the defendant’s residence, and he admitted to viewing child pornography. Examination of his electronic devices resulted in locating more than 3,000 images of minors being sexually abused by adults.

“Collecting and possessing a cache of vile images depicting the sexual abuse of children is not a victimless crime—as every image represents a real child who has been exploited and harmed,” said Homeland Security Investigations Tallahassee Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno. “This abhorrent behavior inflicts profound harm on these children that lasts a lifetime, all in the name of selfish deviant gratification. The perpetual sharing of this vile content online continually perpetuates the horrific trauma these children have endured, and HSI is committed to eradicating this evil.”

The case involved a joint investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Meredith L. Steer.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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.  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.