A former volunteer firefighter from Wake Forest has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison for crimes involving child sexual abuse material. Royce Cosmo Fuoco, aged 49, was given a sentence of 151 months followed by five years of supervised release. Fuoco had pleaded guilty on October 8, 2024, to multiple charges including ten counts of distribution, one count of receipt, and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material.
The investigation into Fuoco's activities began when the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) received a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The tip indicated that an individual using the username “ncfirefighter07” on the social media application Kik had distributed at least 30 videos containing child sexual abuse material. Further investigation revealed that this user had shared such material on 441 occasions through the Kik platform. Law enforcement traced this account back to Fuoco, who was identified as a former volunteer firefighter with the Wake Forest Fire Department.
A search warrant executed at Fuoco’s residence led to the seizure of several digital devices containing child sexual abuse content and evidence supporting his distribution activities. During questioning, Fuoco confessed to obtaining such materials in Kik chat groups out of boredom while working from home and distributing them to other users.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced the sentencing which was carried out by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson.
For further details related to court documents and information about this case, interested parties can refer to the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or use PACER with Case No. 5:24-CR-229.