A Panama City man has been sentenced to five years in prison and ten years of supervised release after pleading guilty to receiving child pornography. Jericho Rayne Skipper, 30, will also pay $66,000 in restitution to the victims. The sentence was announced by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated, “This case demonstrates the excellent work of our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners to identify those who prey upon the most vulnerable of members of our community—our young children. My office will aggressively prosecute anyone caught peddling child porn, and we will not rest until every child is safe from the predations of these sick individuals.”
According to court records, in July 2024 law enforcement officers in Panama City discovered that Skipper had used social media and online chat platforms to trade images depicting adults engaged in sexually explicit conduct with minors, including infants and toddlers. After his arrest, Skipper admitted to collecting these illegal images.
Homeland Security Investigations Tallahassee Assistant Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno commented on the case: “The abhorrent crime of trafficking imagery of the sexual abuse of children online is abhorrent at every level, and contributes to their repeated victimization. HSI is committed to continue working side-by-side with our state and local partners to identify these predators, remove their online footprints, and get victims the help the so desperately need.”
Sheriff Tommy Ford of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office added: “Keeping kids safe is a top priority, and it takes strong teamwork across agencies to make that happen. I’m proud of the partnership that helped bring this predator to justice.”
The investigation involved collaboration between the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, Panama City Police Department, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Meredith L. Steer prosecuted the case.
This conviction was part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006—which coordinates federal, state, and local efforts against child sexual exploitation online. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices serving as principal litigators under direction from the Attorney General. Public court documents are available through the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website (https://www.flnd.uscourts.gov/). Further details about this office can be found at http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
