Clifford Frederic Lind, 40, entered a guilty plea in a federal court to charges of attempting to transfer obscene material to a minor and enticement of a minor. Lind, known online by the alias “it is what it is,” acknowledged engaging in explicit conversations with an individual he believed to be a 13-year-old girl.
In relation to the plea, Lind admitted that from May 29 to June 4, 2024, he communicated with the assumed underage girl using social media and text messages. During these exchanges, he sent sexually explicit images and videos of himself, requesting similar images in return. He also talked about plans to meet the girl in person for sexual activity, detailing transportation and accommodation plans. These actions occurred while Lind was in the Southern District of Florida, involving the use of a smartphone and internet, with the materials traveling through interstate commerce.
The sentencing is scheduled for July 9 at 10:00 a.m. in Key West before United States District Court Judge Darrin P. Gayles. Lind could face a life sentence.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of FBI Miami.
The FBI Miami, Key West Resident Agency conducted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Lindsey Maultasch is prosecuting the case, with Assistant United States Attorney Sara Klco managing asset forfeiture.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the rise in child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project aims to coordinate federal, state, and local resources to find, apprehend, and prosecute those exploiting children online, as well as to identify and rescue victims. More details can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Individuals with information on child sexual exploitation or abuse are urged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
Further details and any updates related to this case can be accessed from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl. Related court documents are available on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or via http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, using the case number 24-cr-10008.