Brooksville Man Found Guilty of Receiving, Distributing, and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

Tampa, Florida - A federal jury has found Julian Russell Clawson (43, Tampa) guilty of receiving, distributing, and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Clawson faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison for each count of receiving and distributing CSAM, and a minimum of 10 years, up to 20 years, in prison for possessing CSAM. He faces enhanced penalties in this case and a violation of supervised release based on a previous conviction for possessing CSAM. His combined violation and sentencing hearing will be held at a future date. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to testimony and evidence presented at trial, Clawson traded CSAM on a social media application (app). He engaged in graphic sexual discussions around the abuse of minors in public groups on the app, as well as with two different undercover FBI agents from the Sarasota and Jacksonville offices. As part of Clawson's direct messages with the FBI agents, he distributed CSAM to both undercover agents on multiple dates in April 2023. Through records obtained from the social media platform, the investigation revealed that Clawson also received CSAM through this application. In June 2023, a search warrant was executed for Clawson's cellphone revealing that he possessed more than 250 images and videos of CSAM on his phone.

This case was investigated by the FBI in Sarasota and Jacksonville, the Tampa Police Department, and the Hernando County Sherriff's Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.

This case was 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 United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.