Martin County Resident Sentenced to Twenty Seven Years in Prison for Producing Child Pornography

On August 3, 2017, a Martin County resident was sentenced to 27 years in prison for producing child pornography.

Benjamin G. Greenberg, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, and William D. Snyder, Sheriff, Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO), made the announcement.

On May 22, 2017, Darrell Mark Babcock, 33, of Stuart, Florida pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2251(a) & (e). United States District Court Judge Kenneth A. Marra sentenced Babcock to a total of 27 years in prison, to be followed by a lifetime of supervised release and ordered the defendant to register as a sex offender.

According to the court record, following an investigation into an alleged domestic disturbance incident a federal search warrant was executed on Babcock’s cellular telephone. A forensic analysis of the telephone revealed numerous videos, created between August 19 and October 30, 2016, of Babcock and a 16-year-old minor female engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), 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, 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 the Project Safe Childhood initiative and for information regarding Internet safety, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Mr. Greenberg commended the investigative efforts of the FBI and Martin County Sheriff’s Office for their work with this matter. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carmen Lineberger.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.