A former corrections officer from Florida has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for child exploitation and distribution of child pornography, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.
In cooperation with the Dixie County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Devin Scott Waldeck, 35, of Cross City, after law enforcement uncovered the former officer’s efforts through the online platform Reddit.
Waldeck's Actions
According to court documents, Waldeck posed as the mother of a minor child on Reddit to discuss the sexual exploitation of the child. Waldeck reportedly offered the child to a Reddit user and graphically described ways in which the user could sexually exploit the minor.
Waldeck was also found to have saved explicit videos and pictures of the child, as well as sexually explicit videos and photos of other individuals in a secret app on his cell phone.
Additionally, investigators found that Waldeck had hundreds of communications with other Reddit users discussing sexual “hookups.” In those conversations, Waldeck had 17 chats where he confirmed he either had sexual encounters or desired to have sexual encounters with minors.
Operation Relentless Justice
Waldeck’s arrest is part of the DOJ’s Operation Relentless Justice, “a coordinated enforcement effort to identify, track, and arrest child sex predators,” according to the DOJ’s Office of Public Affairs.
“Through Operation Relentless Justice, we continue to identify, target, and take down the sexual predators lurking online who seek to sexually exploit and victimize children,” said John P. Heekin, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida. “This defendant’s abhorrent crimes deserve punishment, and thanks to the successful prosecution by my office he will spend decades in federal prison.”
As of Dec. 2025, the DOJ has located 205 child victims and arrested more than 293 child sexual abuse offenders.
“Protecting children from dangerous predators who target them online remains one of our top priorities,” FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley said.
