News Releases

2 men arrested for child pornography in Tallahassee over past 2 days

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Two men have been arrested over the past two days for possessing child pornography as part of an ongoing operation by the North Florida ICAC (Internet Crimes Against Children) Task Force, which is made up of agents and officers from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Leon County Sheriff's Office, and the Tallahassee Police Department.

Michael Sendker, 22, was arrested on Thursday on 28 counts, and David Lee Bethancourt, 33, was arrested Friday on 32 counts of child pornography possession.

"Through our partnerships with state, local and other federal law enforcement agencies, ICE will continue to investigate these kinds of cases to ensure that our children are protected from being victimized in this manner," said Susan McCormick, special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Tampa, Fla.

This case was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide ICE initiative to identify, investigate, and arrest those who prey on children, including human traffickers, international sex tourists, Internet pornographers, and foreign-national predators whose crimes make them deportable.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-347-2423. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com.