Austin Coates Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Child Pornography Crimes
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Austin Coates, 27, will spend 20 years in federal prison after being found guilty of sexual exploitation of children and distributing child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida.
Coates was charged earlier this April with 101 felony counts following a raid on his home by the Leon County Sheriff’s Office. Investigators uncovered extensive evidence that Coates sent child pornography to minors, some as young as 13, and encouraged them to produce and send sexually explicit material.
Law enforcement also seized multiple electronic devices containing hundreds of videos and images of child pornography, some depicting very young children and toddlers.
Nicholas Ingegno, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Tallahassee, described the case as a “brutal reminder” of the necessity to hold offenders accountable. He said, “This predator weaponized social media to target, entice, and manipulate vulnerable children to produce sexually explicit material to add to his collection of vile content.”
After completing his 20-year prison term, Coates will be on supervised release for life and was ordered to pay restitution to the victims, according to court documents.
