A man from Charlotte, North Carolina has admitted in federal court to enticing a minor from Okeechobee, Florida to produce child sexual abuse material. Kaleb Harrison Childs, 26, entered his guilty plea on October 14 in Fort Pierce.
Court records indicate that Childs began communicating with the minor through a social media platform in February 2025. The victim told Childs she was 13 years old but was actually 12 at the time. During their conversations online, Childs offered gift cards and video game credits in return for sexually explicit images and videos.
Childs was arrested in May 2025 when he returned to the United States aboard a cruise ship. After his arrest, law enforcement searched his home and found hundreds of images containing child sexual abuse material.
He pleaded guilty to one count of enticement of a minor and one count of producing material involving the sexual exploitation of minors. For the enticement charge, Childs could receive up to life imprisonment; for the production charge, he faces up to 30 years in prison. A federal judge will decide on sentencing after reviewing applicable guidelines and legal factors.
“U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida, Acting Special Agent in Charge José R. Figueroa of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Division, and Sheriff Noel E. Stephen of the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office made the announcement.”
The investigation is being handled by Homeland Security Investigations Fort Pierce and the Okeechobee County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin Hoover is prosecuting this case.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse using coordinated resources across federal, state, and local agencies. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
Copies of this press release as well as updates are available on the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida website: www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.
Related court documents are accessible via the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 25-cr-14034.
