Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
Merrick B. Garland, Attorney General | https://www.justice.gov/
U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Caleb Robert Wien, 22, of North Fort Myers, to six years in federal prison for possessing and accessing with intent to view images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. In addition to his prison term, Wien was sentenced to a 20-year term of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender. Wien pleaded guilty on January 24, 2024.
According to court documents, from May 16, 2023, through September 7, 2023, Wien possessed and accessed child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that he sought out and collected through social media apps.
Beginning in May 2023, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received three cybertips from an electronic service provider reporting that Wien was involved in the possession of CSAM.
On September 7, 2023, the FBI executed a search warrant at Wien’s residence and seized his cellphone. During an interview with agents, Wien stated that he had been viewing CSAM for two years and admitted to using two social media apps to view and save CSAM. He also admitted to saving CSAM in a secured folder on his cell phone and provided the passcode for it. Additionally, he used three email addresses to log into different platforms to search for CSAM. A forensic examination of his cell phone revealed images and videos of CSAM.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The initiative marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children while identifying and rescuing victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood visit www.justice.gov/psc.
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