Indiana Man Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison For Sexually Exploting Toddler

KEY POINTS

Gage Campos, 26, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor child
Campos was arrested in 2020 when evidence of the abuse was recovered from his Google account
It was revealed that Campos was in a position of trust with respect to the victim at the time of the offenses

A 26-year-old man from Jennings County, Indiana was sentenced to prison this week after he was found to have sexually exploited a toddler two years ago.

Gage Campos, of North Vernon, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexual exploitation of a minor child, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement released Tuesday.

Citing court documents, the DOJ said Campos was arrested on Sept. 2, 2020 after evidence of sexual exploitation of a child had been recovered from his Google account and one of his cellular phones.

According to the DOJ, the creation dates of the images ranged from July to October 2019, where the victim was still a toddler. Law enforcement learned that Campos was in a position of trust with respect to the child at the time of the offenses. It was unclear what the relationship between the victim and Campos was.

Forensic examiners also found evidence that Campos had been collecting child sexual abuse material for at least four years using Google, the DOJ noted.

The tech giant had reported the suspected child abuse images that were contained in one of its user’s accounts, which was later identified to have belonged to Campos, to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in 2020 (NCMEC,) according to the DOJ.

The evidence was turned over by NCMEC to the Indiana State Police and the FBI, who worked together with the Indiana State Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force to identify Campos. Authorities were then able to recover evidence from Campos' residence, obtained a confession from him and ensured the safety of the minor victim.

"Those who prey on the most vulnerable of our citizens and victimize them through such despicable criminal acts can expect to be held accountable," FBI Indianapolis Acting Special Agent in Charge Robert Middleton was quoted as saying in the DOJ statement.

Acting U.S. Attorney John E. Childress said Campos' sentence "sends a strong message to others who might consider imitating his reprehensible conduct."