Jacksonville Navy Airman Pleads Guilty To Distributing Child Sexual Abuse Images And Video Over The Internet

 Jacksonville, Florida - Evan Andrew Bubbers (21, Bettendorf, IA) today pleaded guilty to distributing materials depicting the sexual abuse of children over the internet. Bubbers faces a mandatory minimum term of 5 years, and up to 20 years, in federal prison. Bubbers was arrested on March 30, 2021, at Naval Air Station - Jacksonville. A sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled. 

According to court documents, on March 17, 2021, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) contacted the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) in Jacksonville about an investigative tip, known as a “CyberTip,” that had been received by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). NCMEC reported that a particular social media application (app) had filed a CyberTip indicating that videos depicting child sexual abuse had been uploaded over the internet and shared with other users on this app. A JSO investigation determined that the distribution of these videos was connected to Bubbers through the internet service for his barracks residence at Naval Air Station - Jacksonville. During an interview on March 30, 2021, Bubbers admitted to uploading and sharing material depicting the sexual abuse of children using the app, including the video from the Cybertip. This same video was also located during a search of Bubbers’s cell phone.

This case was investigated by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.