TALLAHASSEE MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO INTERNATIONAL CHILD EXPLOITATION CRIMES

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Austin Keith Hibbert, 25, of Tallahassee, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to attempting to entice or persuade a minor to engage in sexual activity, attempting to travel for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct, and transferring obscene material to a person less than 16 years of age. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “I am incredibly grateful for the tireless efforts of our international and domestic law enforcement partners to investigate and intervene in cases like this, particularly because predators like this defendant are relentless in committing these disgusting crimes.  This case represented one of parents’ worst nightmares – the targeting, grooming, and attempted exploitation of their child – but thankfully that nightmare did not become a reality for this family.  My office remains committed to aggressively prosecuting offenders like this defendant to the fullest extent of the law.”

Court documents reflect that between May 2023, and August 2024, Hibbert communicated almost daily through multiple social media platforms with a 13-year-old child from Estonia, a country in Northern Europe. Hibbert met the child through a popular Internet game. The communications between Hibbert and the child quickly became sexual in nature. Hibbert told the child that he intended to travel to Estonia to meet and to engage in sexual activity. Additionally, Hibbert sent the child more than twelve explicit videos. In August 2024, law enforcement officials learned that Hibbert had applied for a U.S. passport and had booked an international flight from Tallahassee to Estonia. On August 12, 2024, law enforcement officials intercepted Hibbert as he attempted to board his flight at the Tallahassee International Airport. A search of Hibbert’s person and carry-on bags revealed items indicative of his intent to travel to meet with the child, including his U.S. passport, a bracelet, and a box of condoms. A later search of Hibbert’s electronic devices confirmed Hibbert’s communications with the child, his travel plans, and showed that he reserved lodging near where the child lived.

Hibbert faces a minimum mandatory of 10 years’ imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment, followed by five years to life of supervision upon release.

The case involved a joint investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tallahassee Police Department, with assistance from the Estonian Police and Border Guard Agency. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen.

Sentencing is scheduled for October 27, 2025, at 11:00 am at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.

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.