U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell has sentenced Douglas Alan Vander Laan, a 68-year-old resident of Saint James City, to five years in federal prison. Vander Laan was found guilty of possessing and accessing images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. In addition to his prison term, he will undergo a 15-year supervised release period and is required to register as a sex offender. He pleaded guilty on August 20, 2024.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received four cybertips from an electronic service provider between June and August 2023. These reports indicated that Vander Laan had uploaded files containing child sexual abuse material to an online visual search service.

On November 28, 2023, law enforcement agents contacted Vander Laan at his workplace. During this encounter, he admitted to using the visual search service and viewing images of unclothed children. Later that day, the FBI executed a search warrant at his residence and seized his laptop. A forensic examination revealed it contained child sexual abuse material.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes participation from the Lee County Sheriff's Office. Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project coordinates federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.