Pensacola sex offender faces up to 40 years in federal prison after child porn conviction

Benjamin Johnson, Pensacola News Journal
·2 min read
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U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Florida Jason R. Coody announced Thursday that a 59-year-old Pensacola man was found guilty of possessing child pornography while on probation.

A federal grand jury convicted Frank P. Knight on Wednesday for possessing child pornography found by his probation officer in October 2022.

"Protecting innocent children from sexual predators remains one of our highest priorities," Coody said in a press release. "I commend our law enforcement partners and prosecutors who work diligently to identify these predators and bring them to justice so that they no longer have the opportunity to exploit any child again."

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Knight was previously designated a sex offender and served six years in federal prison for sex crimes he committed from 2002 to 2009. While on probation, his probation officer conducted a random check at his employer, finding unreported electronic devices.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents also seized devices from Knight's living area that had not been reported.

"At that time, a Smart TV was located in Knight's personal living area within the business," the release states. "All the accounts on the Smart TV were logged in under Knight's name and email address, and the browser history revealed child pornography websites had been recently accessed."

The release says all the devices containing child pornography had Knight's login, credit card and other identifying information. Agents also discovered child pornography files dating to 2018, just three years after Knight's release from federal prison.

The release says Knight is required to serve a 15-year mandatory minimum sentence and faces up to 40 years. He is set for sentencing Sept. 25.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Florida man Frank Knight faces 40 years after child porn conviction