GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA – Eugene A. Light, 74, of Bronson, Florida, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison for receipt of child pornography after pleading guilty on January 18, 2022. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
“There is no greater charge than the protection of our children,” stated U.S. Attorney Coody. “This sentence is yet another example of the unwavering commitment to the protection of our most vulnerable and should serve as a significant deterrent to those who would attempt to harm them. We will continue to work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who engage in such heinous conduct.”
Court documents reflect that a detective with the Levy County, Florida Sheriff’s Office received information that a subject residing in Bronson, Florida, had distributed images of child pornography on the Internet. After further investigation, on January 6, 2021, detectives executed a search warrant at the residence of Light. Inside of the residence, detectives found numerous computers and electronic storage devices. A forensic review of the computers and storage devices revealed Light had received and saved over 1,000 images and videos of child pornography. The materials included prepubescent children and sadistic and masochistic sexual abuse of children
Light’s prison sentence will be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. He will also be required to pay $39,000.00 in restitution, register as a sex offender, and be subject to all sex offender conditions.
“Thanks to the outstanding partnership between HSI Gainesville and the Levy County Sheriff’s Office, this child predator will face the consequences of his crimes,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips.
“These dedicated Sheriff’s Office Detectives invested countless hours examining the evidence they seized during this investigation. Ensuring the safety of our children cannot be more serious and the men and women assigned to this division are subjected to the most heinous criminal element that plague our society. I am most proud of their professionalism and dedication to this mission in working with our partners at Homeland Security Investigations and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force which led to this successful conclusion and Justice was served,” said Sheriff McCallum.
The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations and the Levy County Sheriff’s Office and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Frank Williams prosecuted the case.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.