MIAMI — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Florida, Southern), published as received.

MIAMI – On April 1, a man was sentenced to 324 months in federal prison, followed by supervised release for life, for producing child pornography of an infant child after pleading guilty in November 2023.

In 2023, while the United Kingdom authorities were examining offenders’ electronic devices, discovered a video showing Codey Allen Bates, 30, of Vero Beach, Florida, and an infant child. Law enforcement officers were able to identify Bates from the video. In the video, Bates, then living in Palm Beach County, while live streaming with an unknown person on a social networking application, produced child pornography of the child. The unknown person communicating with Bates recorded the production which was later located by law enforcement.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Anthony Salisbury of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami and Sheriff Eric Flowers of the Indian River County Sheriff’s Office (IRCSO) announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Robin L. Rosenberg.

HSI West Palm Beach, HSI Fort Pierce and IRCSO investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregory Schiller prosecuted it. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), 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 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 the Project Safe Childhood initiative and for information regarding Internet safety, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

To report online child sexual exploitation, use the electronic Cyber Tip Line or call 1-800-843-5678. The Cyber Tip Line is operated by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in partnership with the HSI and other law enforcement agencies.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 23-cr-80123.

###