Registered sex offender sentenced to 30 years in prison for child pornography

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Stephen Edward Cobb, 62, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography. The sentence was announced by Jason R. Coody, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.

Cobb was arrested on June 28, 2022, after a CyberTip led to a warrant for a Facebook account in the name of Stephen Cobb, with the account’s address at GRACE Marketplace. The warrant produced 48 images or videos that are child sexual abuse material, along with 82 images or videos that are either child erotica or are “age questionable.” The warrant also produced chats in which the images and videos were shared, along with some chats about attraction to children. An email address associated with the Facebook account was also traced back to Cobb, and his phone was reportedly logged in to both that email account and the Facebook account at the time of his arrest.

Post Miranda, Cobb reportedly said he had previously been attracted to children between the ages of 3 and 14, but he is “cured” because he’s no longer smoking “spice.” He also reportedly said he was “under the influence” when he shared child sexual abuse material in the past.

Cobb is a Registered Sexual Offender who was initially convicted of sexual conduct with a minor in 1992 in Michigan. He has served Florida prison terms for failing to report as a sexual offender in 2014 and for lewd and lascivious conduct on a child under 16 in 2018. 

“The decades-long sentence in this case is based in part on the history of victimization caused by the offender, including harm to a child in this community,” said North Florida ICAC Task Force Commander Chris King. “We are thankful for our partnership with the U.S Attorney’s Office, which helped achieve this result.”

“This predatorial recidivist didn’t learn his lesson the first time and continued to victimize children,” said HSI Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge K. Jim Phillips. “Thanks to the diligence of HSI and the Gainesville Police Department, we were able hold Cobb accountable for his deviant actions once again.”

Cobb’s prison sentence will be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Cobb will continue to be required to register as a sex offender and be subject to all sex offender conditions.

The case was investigated by Internet Crime Against Children Task Force Gainesville Police Department and Department of Homeland Security. Assistant United States Attorney Frank Williams prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

  • When will Gov. DeSantis and the GOP Florida legislature pass laws that keep these people in prison?!!? This guy never should’ve been released after his 2018 conviction. Florida GOP leadership in Tally is soft on pedo’s!!!! It’s a disgrace.

    • Not a partisan issue. All states and especially the feds are unexplainably soft on pedo crimes. It’s been a problem for decades, at least.

      • One reason could be that the KM banksters who have their boot on our necks are all pedos?

    • Blame the Governor 🙄. Ridiculous! Compare him with Newsome and California not passing a law to classify sex crimes against minors as a Major crime with harsher sentences

    • The ACLU and SPLC are very protective of future longterm legal industry clients (repeat offenders) and mentally ill victims, who sadly end up coping with substance abuse, sometimes commit more crimes and vote Dem until convicted, too.

    • Conrad- this year, Florida lawmakers approved legislation backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that would permit the death penalty for those convicted of sexually abusing children. I’d say that’s better than keeping them in prison.

  • I wonder how many more people like this at GRACE marketplace?
    At least hygiene should be enforced out at GRACE.

    • Where else do you expect registered sex offenders to go? Nobody will hire them or rent to them, understandably, and they become homeless. GRACE is a homeless shelter. Use your thinking cap.

  • Sucks it took this long to get him off the streets, but finally he is. Not going to be pleasant for this creep for the remainder of his time on earth

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