Shalimar Man Found Guilty Of Child Pornography Offenses

PENSACOLA, FLORIDA – Jeffrey L. Pybus, 41, of Shalimar, Florida, was found guilty by a federal jury for receiving and possessing images and videos of child pornography. The guilty verdict returned yesterday morning, at the conclusion of a two-day trial, was announced by Jason R. Coody, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Between February 18, 2022, and May 4, 2022, Pybus received material containing child pornography through a Peer-to-Peer file sharing program.  On May 4, 2022, Pybus’ residence was searched by law enforcement, and he was found to be in possession of over 23,000 images and/or videos of child pornography. 

Sentencing is set for March 13, 2024, at 3:00 p.m., at the United States Courthouse in Pensacola before the Honorable United States District Judge M. Casey Rodgers. Based on his convictions, Pybus faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 5 years in federal prison, with a maximum of 20 years.

This case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey M. Tharp prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access available public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.