GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - Dustin Lee Norman, 23, of Trenton, Florida, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison after pleading guilty on March 3, 2020, to Sexual Exploitation of a Child, Possessing Child Pornography, and Sending Interstate Transmissions of Extortionate Communications. The Court also ordered lifetime-supervised release following Norman’s prison term and that he register as a sex offender upon his release. United States Attorney Lawrence Keefe for the Northern District of Florida announced the sentence.
“The Justice Department is committed to combating the sexual exploitation of children,” said U.S. Attorney Keefe. “The community plays a critical role in protecting our loved ones as well. We ask that you vigilantly monitor your children’s cell phones and computer activity as well as their social media accounts, and report any suspected offenses to law enforcement. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to do everything within the scope its authority to support our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners as we investigate and prosecute these offenders.”
Beginning in September 2018 through October 2018, Norman persuaded, induced, enticed and coerced a female minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct. Norman contacted the minor female, who resided in the state of Washington, through a social media site and engaged her in conversations of a sexual nature, during which sexually explicit photographs were sent to him. During the same time, Norman knowingly used his cell phone and the internet to extort the minor female by threatening to post the photographs she had already provided, along with information which would identify her, on Facebook unless she sent him additional, and even more explicit, photographs and videos of herself.
“The heinous acts of this defendant will have an impact on his victim for the rest of her life,” said Rachel L. Rojas, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Jacksonville Division. “He not only abused and exploited a vulnerable child, but he re-victimized her over and over again through the online circulation of her image. The FBI will continue to do everything in its power to find justice for innocent victims like her, but we must also work to stop child exploitation. I encourage parents and guardians to set aside time to teach their kids how to identify potential online predators and report them to law enforcement. Together, we can prevent other innocent children from being victimized.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Levy County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen.
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.
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