TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA – Robert Thomas Darenberg, 34, of Jacksonville, was sentenced today to forty-eight months in federal prison for possession of child pornography. The Court ordered that Darenberg pay $15,000.00 in restitution, serve 10 years of supervised release following his prison term, and register as a sex offender upon his release from prison. Lawrence Keefe, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentence this afternoon.
In November 2018, law enforcement officers received information that Darenberg, then employed as an information technology specialist with the Middle District of Florida’s United States Attorney’s Office, was in possession of child pornography. During the investigation, Darenberg was arrested on a criminal complaint and a federal search warrant was authorized resulting in the seizure of his personal computer and other digital media. A forensic review of Darenberg’s personal computer confirmed his attempts to encrypt and conceal files containing approximately 1,630 images of child pornography, including approximately 270 videos.
“This information technology specialist thought he could outsmart law enforcement, but thanks to the hard work of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the Northern District of Florida United States Attorney’s Office, and HSI, he is facing the same consequences as every other criminal,” said HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero.
Added U.S. Attorney Keefe: “Those who possess child pornography enable and participate in a despicable practice that preys on the most innocent among us. There is a special place for that kind of deviant mind – and for this defendant, that place is federal prison.”
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jason R. Coody.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida..
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