Tampa Republic

Arin Caleb Ellis, a Jacksonville medical records technician, has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for producing and distributing videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. The sentence was handed down by Chief United States District Judge Timothy J. Corrigan. Ellis will also serve a lifetime term of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.

Ellis was arrested on August 29, 2022, and has remained in federal custody since then. He pleaded guilty on February 28, 2024, to charges of persuading and coercing a child to produce sexually explicit material and distributing a video depicting child sexual abuse.

Court documents reveal that from January 2018 until his arrest, Ellis participated in several online groups dedicated to the sexual exploitation of children. These groups conspired to locate and exploit minors through various social media platforms. "Ellis told other group members that he preferred targeting female children who were 8 to 11 years old," according to court documents.

The investigation showed that Ellis developed tools to record live-streamed content involving targeted children engaged in sexual acts. He shared these tools with others involved in the exploitation network. Using various social media apps, Ellis communicated with minors across the United States while posing as a young girl named "nova."

The FBI executed multiple search warrants during their investigation, uncovering evidence from Ellis's electronic devices and accounts. This evidence suggested that thousands of minors may have been targeted for online sexual exploitation by Ellis.

Law enforcement seized numerous encrypted electronic devices from Ellis's residence on the day of his arrest. A forensic examination revealed over 1,700 photos and 700 videos depicting children engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

The case was announced by Roger B. Handberg, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida; Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri; Assistant Director B. Chad Yarbrough of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; and Special Agent in Charge Kristin Rehler of the FBI Jacksonville Field Office.

The FBI Child Exploitation Operational Unit in Linthicum, Maryland, along with the FBI Jacksonville Field Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown for the Middle District of Florida and Trial Attorneys Kaylynn Foulon and McKenzie Hightower prosecuted it.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.