U.S. District Judge William Jung has sentenced Anthony Joseph Fresco, a 68-year-old resident of New Port Richey, to 11 years and 3 months in federal prison for distributing and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). In addition to the prison sentence, Fresco is required to forfeit electronic devices used in the crime, pay $33,000 in restitution to the victims, and register as a sex offender. Fresco had entered a guilty plea on October 18, 2024.
Court documents reveal that in January 2023, Fresco engaged in an online conversation with an undercover FBI agent. During this interaction, he expressed his sexual interest in minors and shared two images and one video of CSAM with the agent. A subsequent search of Fresco's electronic devices uncovered evidence that he had distributed CSAM images and videos across various online groups. Authorities also found hundreds of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of infants and toddlers.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation into this case. Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel prosecuted the case.
This prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project coordinates efforts among federal, state, and local resources to apprehend individuals who exploit children sexually and to rescue victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.