ORLANDO, Fla. — A Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Orlando investigation has led to the sentencing of a Florida man for distributing child sexual abuse material.
Sean Calvin Ellixson, 30, of Orlando, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Carlos Mendoza to 24 years and five months in federal prison and ordered to forfeit digital media devices used during the commission of the offense. Ellixson entered a guilty plea on Feb. 6.
According to court documents, on Sept. 10, 2023, HSI Orlando received information regarding online communications between Ellixson and an undercover agent posing as a 13-year-old girl in an online chatroom. Ellixson contacted the individual he believed to be a 13-year-old and engaged in sexually explicit conversation with that person over the course of several days. During the conversations, Ellixson sent three videos of child sexual abuse material.
On Sept. 11, 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at Ellixson’s residence. During the search, Ellixson agreed to speak with investigators and said he had two cellphones. He confirmed that the phone number used to communicate with the undercover agent belonged to him. Ellixson admitted to having child sexual abuse material on the phone and showed law enforcement where it was located. Ellixson further stated that he had been talking to various people he believed were minor children to receive child sex abuse material. He also stated that he had attempted to purchase child sexual abuse material by purchasing a gift card and sending it to an unidentified individual. Ellixson stated that this person was supposed to send him a link that contained child sexual abuse material.
“The sentencing of Sean Ellixson serves as a stark reminder that HSI will remain vigilant in our efforts to protect our children from exploitation and abuse,” said HSI Orlando Assistant Special Agent in Charge David Pezzutti. “This outcome, achieved through the dedicated efforts of HSI Orlando and our law enforcement partners with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, underscores our unwavering resolve to hold perpetrators of child exploitation accountable for their actions and to ensure justice for their victims.”
This case was investigated by HSI Orlando and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel S. Lyons.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. attorneys’ offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.
About HSI
HSI is the principal investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security, responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce consists of over 10,000 employees, assigned to 235 offices within the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI's international presence represents the Department of Homeland Security’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.