Sumter County Man Sentenced to Three Years in Federal Prison for Possessing Obscene Animated Images of Child Sexual Abuse

Ocala, Florida – Corey Wilkerson (30, Lake Panasoffkee) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber to three years in federal prison for possession of obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to the court records, between October 20, 2023, and July 10, 2024, Wilkerson possessed thousands of obscene animated images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. The images also depicted the sexual abuse of prepubescent and infant females. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson and Sarah Janette Swartzberg. This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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 child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc .