Glades County Man Sentenced To Five Years In Federal Prison For Possessing And Accessing With Intent To View Child Sexual Abuse Images

Fort Myers, Florida – U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell today sentenced Rodney Alan Hortman (59, Okeechobee) to five years in federal prison for possessing and accessing with intent to view images depicting the sexual abuse of children. Hortman was also sentenced to a life term of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender. Hortman entered a guilty plea on January 22, 2025.

According to court documents, in December 2022, the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a cybertip from an electronic service provider reporting that Hortman had uploaded files that depicted child sexual abuse material from his cellphone.

On June 6, 2023, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Hortman’s residence and seized Hortman’s cellphones and computer tower. Hortman agreed to speak with law enforcement and admitted that there would be child sex abuse material on his electronic devices. The subsequent forensic examination of Hortman’s electronic devices revealed images of child sexual abuse material.    

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, with assistance from the Glades County Sheriff’s Office and FDLE. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.   

This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.