Florida Inmate Pleads Guilty to Distribution & Receipt of Child Pornography
Tallahassee, Florida / Monday, March 23, 2026 – Edward G. Winn, 47, an inmate of the Florida Department of Corrections who is formerly of Sarasota, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of receipt of child pornography. The plea was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin said: “My office will continue to aggressively prosecute the disgusting offenders who seek to sexually exploit kids online, and who peddle the horrific images and videos of child sexual abuse material that has the effect of re-victimizing those innocent victims each and every time it is shared.”
Court documents reflect that since September 2, 2015, the defendant had been incarcerated in the Florida Department of Corrections after being convicted of multiple counts of possession of child pornography. While the defendant was an inmate at Madison Correctional Institution, investigators discovered he used a prison-issued tablet to receive child pornography from the Internet which he also distributed to other inmates between May 6, 2024, and July 9, 2024. A search of the defendant’s tablet revealed that it contained almost 400 child pornography images, some of which depicted children as young as infants.
Winn faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment and up to 40 years’ imprisonment on each count, and a lifetime of supervision upon release.
Sentencing is scheduled for June 1, 2026, at 3:00 pm, at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Florida Department of Corrections-Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorney Justin M. Keen is prosecuting 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 public court documents online, please visit theU.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Contact
United States Attorney’s Office
Northern District of Florida
USAFLN.Press.Office@usdoj.gov
X: @USAO_NDFL
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Florida
