A Florida man has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for distributing images and videos depicting child sexual abuse. The sentencing of Nicholes Scott Newman, a previously convicted child predator, took place on March 26 following an investigation led by the Northeast Florida Interagency Child Exploitation and People's Trafficking Task Force, which included U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Newman, aged 42 and residing in Hilliard, is also required to serve a 10-year term of supervised release upon completing his prison sentence and must register as a sex offender.
“This predator’s prior conviction did not deter him from continuing to victimize children by distributing vile child sexual abuse material,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tim Hemker. “The men and women of HSI and the Northeast Florida INTERCEPT Task Force will continue to work tirelessly to dismantle these networks and keep our communities safe.”
The investigation, which began in June 2024, involved a detective working undercover in a social media messaging group. Newman was found to be distributing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) to others within this group. The undercover detective communicated directly with Newman, receiving more images and videos containing CSAM.
Previously, in 2014, Newman was convicted in Pinellas County on 20 counts of possession of CSAM, leading to a sentencing in Florida State Prison. He was released on February 6, 2019.
The case was investigated by multiple agencies, including ICE Homeland Security Investigations Jacksonville, Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney John Cannizzaro prosecuted the case.
