North Fort Myers man gets federal prison for possession, distribution of child porn
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A North Fort Myers man was sentenced to more than a decade in federal prison Monday for the distribution and possession of dozens of images and videos of child pornography, the U.S. State's Attorney's Office Middle District of Florida announced.
U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell sentenced Cody Ray Syfrett, 30, to 10 years and 10 months in federal prison Monday for distribution and possession of images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, a release by the Middle District of Florida said.
Chappell also sentenced Syfrett to a 15-year term of supervised release and ordered him to register as a sex offender.
Syfrett entered a guilty plea on October 17, 2023.
Per the release, Syfrett chatted online with an undercover agent between Sept. 28 and Oct. 4, 2021, and sent several child porn video files to the agent. A social media app also reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that Syfrett had uploaded videos and images of child pornography between Sept. 27 and Oct. 10, 2021, the release said.
The FBI searched Syfrett's social media account, which revealed further images and videos of child porn, depicting children under the age of 12 experiencing sexual abuse. In January, the FBI searched Syfrett's home and seized his cellphone, which investigators found contained dozens of photos and videos of child sex abuse.
In interviews with federal agents, Syfrett confirmed his use of the app, his account, and that he had sent child pornography to the undercover agent. He said that the youngest child depicted in the photos and videos he distributed was nine years old.
According to the release, Syfrett was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, assisted with this investigation. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
According to the Lee County Sheriff's Office, Syfrett was previously arrested for petty theft and possession of dangerous drugs in 2014; he was arrested again in November 2021 for driving under the influence.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: North Fort Myers man sentenced to federal prison on child porn charges
