Former Florida Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Child Exploitation and Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A former Florida corrections officer has pleaded guilty in federal court to child exploitation and the distribution of child sexual abuse material following an investigation conducted under Operation Relentless Justice, a coordinated initiative targeting child predators and online exploitation offenses.

Devin Scott Waldeck, 35, of Cross City, Florida, entered guilty pleas to one count of child exploitation and one count of distributing child sexual abuse material, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.

Federal prosecutors stated that the investigation began in November 2025 after law enforcement discovered online activity allegedly connected to Waldeck involving discussions about the sexual exploitation of a minor child through the social media platform Reddit.

According to court records, Waldeck allegedly posed as the mother of a minor child while communicating with another Reddit user. During those conversations, prosecutors said he offered the child to the user and graphically described methods by which the child could be sexually exploited.

Investigators also discovered explicit videos and images of the minor child stored within a hidden application on Waldeck’s cellular phone. Authorities reported that additional sexually explicit images and videos involving other identified individuals were also located during the investigation.

Court documents further state that Waldeck engaged in hundreds of online communications discussing sexual encounters and proposed sexual “hookups.” More than a dozen of those conversations allegedly involved discussions in which he claimed to have engaged in or expressed a desire to engage in sexual encounters with minors.

U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin condemned the offenses and emphasized the continuing harm caused by child sexual abuse material.

“The sexual exploitation of a child is a horrific crime, and the distribution of child sexual abuse material is a continuing offense that has the effect of re-victimizing the innocent child each and every time those disturbing images and videos are shared,” Heekin said. “Our state and federal law enforcement partners are relentlessly pursuing the sexual predators who seek to victimize and sexually exploit children, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute those sick individuals to ensure they are locked away and unable to harm our kids.”

Because Waldeck has pleaded guilty, the case has moved beyond the allegation stage and into sentencing proceedings.

The child exploitation charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years. The distribution charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of 20 years. Both convictions also carry the possibility of lifetime supervised release following imprisonment.

Federal sentencing guidelines will be considered by the court before a final sentence is imposed.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with assistance from the Dixie County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant United States Attorney Christie S. Utt is prosecuting the case.

Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 25, 2026, before Chief United States District Judge Allen C. Winsor at the United States Courthouse in Tallahassee.

The case was developed through Operation Relentless Justice, an enforcement effort focused on identifying, tracking, and arresting individuals involved in child sexual exploitation crimes. The prosecution is also part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat online child exploitation, identify victims, and bring offenders to justice.

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