A Jacksonville man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for receiving child sexual abuse materials. U.S. District Judge Wendy W. Berger handed down the sentence to Aidan Francis Akins, 31, who pleaded guilty on October 2, 2024.
Court documents show that in April 2023, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Jacksonville received information from an undercover investigation involving a social media chat application about a user offering to sell child sexual abuse materials. Law enforcement identified Akins as a purchaser of these materials.
On June 16, 2023, HSI executed a federal search warrant at Akins’s residence. During the search, Akins admitted to law enforcement that he had been in contact with someone selling such material and acknowledged making multiple purchases. He also confirmed that illegal material might still be present on his phone and said he viewed this content every two to four weeks despite knowing it was illegal.
“The possession, trading, and viewing of child sexual abuse material from the darkest corners of the internet, makes these child predators complicit in the ongoing victimization of children,” said Homeland Security Investigation Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tim Hemker. “HSI, alongside our state and local partners, are committed to protecting children, hold their offenders accountable, and stop the cycle of harm these images perpetuate forever.”
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force. Assistant United States Attorney Ashley Washington prosecuted the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordination among federal, state, and local agencies. More details about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
