Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News
Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge William Jung has sentenced Anthony Joseph Fresco (68, New Port Richey) to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The court also ordered Fresco to forfeit electronic devices used in the commission of the offense, pay $33,000 in restitution to the victims, and register as a sex offender. Fresco entered a guilty plea on October 18, 2024.
According to court documents, in January 2023, Fresco communicated with an undercover FBI agent over the internet. During their conversation, Fresco discussed his sexual desire for minors and distributed two images and one video of CSAM to the undercover agent. After a search of Fresco’s electronic devices, law enforcement discovered that Fresco had distributed images and videos of CSAM in various online groups, as well as possessed hundreds of images and videos of CSAM, including images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, 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 (CEOS), 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 Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.