Daniel P. Bubar Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina | U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina
A former volunteer firefighter from Wake Forest has been sentenced to over 12 years in prison for crimes related to child sexual abuse material. Royce Cosmo Fuoco, aged 49, received his sentence on Wednesday and will serve 151 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. He pled guilty on October 8, 2024, to ten counts of distributing child sexual abuse material, one count of receipt, and one count of possession.
The investigation began when the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) acted on a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The tip concerned a user with the handle “ncfirefighter07” on Kik who had shared at least 30 videos containing such material. Further investigation revealed this account was responsible for distributing the material 441 times to individuals and groups on the platform. The account was traced back to Fuoco, formerly associated with the Wake Forest Fire Department.
Law enforcement searched Fuoco’s home, uncovering several digital devices containing incriminating material. Fuoco confessed to obtaining these materials from Kik chat groups while working from home due to boredom and then sharing them with other users.
Daniel P. Bubar, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, announced the sentencing after it was delivered by Chief U.S. District Judge Richard E. Myers II. The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charity Wilson.
For more details about this case, court documents can be accessed through the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina's website or PACER using Case No. 5:24-CR-229.
