Monday, June 21, 2021

Citrus County Woman Arrested For Using A Minor To Produce Child Sex Abuse Images And Distributing Them Over The Internet

 Ocala, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces the arrest of Ashley Renea Hilligoss (37, Citrus Springs) on a criminal complaint charging her with the production and distribution of images depicting the sexual abuse of a child. If convicted on both counts, Hilligoss faces a maximum penalty of 50 years in federal prison and a potential life term of supervised release.

According to the complaint, Hilligoss took sexually explicit photographs of a child to whom she had access and sent these photos to another individual over the internet. Federal agents later searched an encrypted online file storage account belonging to that individual, which account contained copies of the photographs.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Ocala Resident Agency. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney William S. Hamilton.

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