FLORIDA – A Carrabelle man has been sentenced to prison for child pornography.
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Franklin Jefferson Mathes, Jr., 59, has been sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for receiving material constituting child pornography. Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence.
“The safety and well-being of our children is paramount,” said Coody.
“Those who seek to view and maintain child pornography facilitate the abuse of children by those who produce and profit from this illegal content, robbing our children of their innocence and their very childhood. With our law enforcement partners, we will hold such offenders accountable.”
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According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, between September 2018, and July 2022, Mathes received and possessed material containing child pornography. The pornographic material found in the possession of Mathes reportedly involved minors under the age of 12.
“This sentencing demonstrates the commitment of the FBI to investigate cases of child pornography and work with our U.S. Attorney’s Office partners to hold them accountable,” said Sherri E. Onks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division.
“We will stop at nothing to protect children from those who engage in this type of activity, and we have now ensured one less predator is victimizing the most innocent and vulnerable members of our community.”
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Mathes’ prison sentence will be followed by 20 years of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender and be subject to all sex offender conditions.
This conviction was the result of an investigation conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Assistant United States Attorney Meredith L. Steer prosecuted the case.
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