A federal judge in West Palm Beach has sentenced James William Latta, a 38-year-old man from Texas, to 20 years in prison followed by 25 years of supervised release for advertising and distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) via social media.
Latta's criminal activities took place during the summer of 2024 when he used a social networking app to communicate with someone he believed was the mother of an eight-year-old child. During these interactions, Latta sent sexually explicit videos of himself and inquired about sexual acts between the mother and child. He also created chat rooms on the app to distribute CSAM, sharing it over 200 times within two months. A hyperlink to a website containing more than 3,000 images and videos of CSAM was posted by him in one such chatroom.
After being identified and arrested in Texas, Latta was transferred to the Southern District of Florida where he pled guilty. In addition to his prison sentence and supervised release terms, District Judge Donald M. Middlebrooks mandated that Latta register as a sex offender. A hearing will be held to determine the restitution amount Latta must pay his victims.
The announcement came from U.S. Attorney Hayden O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Jose R. Figueroa of HSI Miami.
The investigation was conducted by HSI West Palm Beach, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project involves collaboration between U.S. Attorneys' Offices and other federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders who exploit children online and rescue victims.
For more information on Project Safe Childhood or if you have information regarding child sexual exploitation and abuse, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov or call (877) 4-HSI-TIP [(877) 447-4847].
Court documents related to this case can be accessed on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida under case number 24-cr-80115.