A 34-year-old convicted felon from Central Florida who pleaded guilty to possessing several firearms and hundreds of files depicting child pornography will spend nearly two decades behind bars.
On Thursday, November 14, Lake Mary resident Robert Leroy Badders, Jr. was sentenced by a judge to 19 years and 7 months in federal prison for receiving child sexual abuse images and possessing a firearm as a convicted felon.
According to court documents, an undercover Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent discovered an Internet Protocol (IP) address that was sharing files depicting the sexual abuse of children. The FBI traced the IP address and the file-sharing account to Badders and his home in Lake Mary.
A search warrant was obtained and executed at Badders’ residence. During that search, FBI agents found two loaded firearms in a backpack.
Badders told investigators that the firearms belonged to him, and he knew that he could not possess them since he had previously been convicted of several felonies. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition under federal law.
While searching Badders’ home, FBI agents also found a smartphone and multiple microSD cards that contained numerous files containing child sexual abuse material.
Following Badders’ sentencing on November 14, he was ordered by the court to forfeit two firearms, assorted ammunition, and all of his electronic devices, including his smartphone, that were seized by the FBI.
This case was investigated by the FBI, and it was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Sartoian.
Additionally, this case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence.