Admissions Recorded in Child Sexual Abuse Material Cases as Outlets Report Differing Sentences

Two of three defendants named in the record admitted elements of the conduct against them, while reported prison terms range from five to 20 years depending on the outlet.

3 reports on this incident · first at Aug 10, 2026, 8:18 p.m. ET

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 11, 2026, 8:05 p.m. ET

Two of three men named in a set of federal and state child sexual abuse material cases admitted elements of the conduct alleged against them, according to reporting by Fox10 News and WCJB, and all three have reached the sentencing stage. Fox10 News reported that Bradford Simmons, 51, of Mobile, admitted he had 20 illicit images and videos on his cell phone and 33 cached images on his laptop, that child sexual abuse material was stored on an external hard drive seized from his home, and that he used a program called "File Shredder" to conceal or destroy the images. WCJB reported that Gainesville Police say Shalom Barnes, 20, of Gainesville, Fla., distributed child pornography through a Discord account and that Barnes admitted to investigators the account was his. In the third case, the New York Post reported that prosecutors said Erik Santana-Garcia, 34, of Salt Lake City, transported a minor across state lines intending to engage in illegal sexual activity, leaving Utah with the victim on Nov. 10, 2024, intending to travel to New York, before Oak Grove, Missouri, police located the pair two days later; the Post reported that investigators later found child pornography depicting a second minor on a phone seized at his arrest, and that he had previously been deported from the US multiple times, most recently on March 6, 2019. The charges recorded across the cases include possession of child sexual abuse material, promoting sexual performance by a child, possession of child pornography, interstate transportation of a minor with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, and illegally reentering the US following a prior deportation. The sentences on the record differ by outlet and are reported here as a range without preference: Fox10 News reported five years in federal prison, $17,500 in restitution and 15 years of supervision by the U.S. Probation Office after release; WCJB reported seven years in prison and a requirement to register as a sex offender; and the New York Post reported 20 years in federal prison without parole followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Which term attaches to which defendant is not resolved by the available record. The New York Post identified the prosecuting office in the interstate transportation case as the . Agencies named across the three cases are Gainesville Police, the FBI, the Mobile County Sheriff's Office Internet Crimes Against Children unit, Homeland Security Investigations (ICE HSI) and Oak Grove, Missouri, police.

Earlier reports

Aug 10, 2026, 8:22 p.m. ET
Two Sentenced in Separate Child Sexual Abuse Material Cases, Outlets Report Differing Terms
Two men have been sentenced in child sexual abuse material cases, according to reporting published August 10, 2026 by WCJB and Fox10. The defendants are named as Shalom Barnes, 20, of Gainesville, Fla., and Bradford Simmons, 51, of Mobile.
The reported penalties differ. Fox10 reported a sentence of five years in federal prison, $17,500 in restitution and 15 years of supervision by the U.S. Probation Office following release. WCJB reported a sentence of seven years in prison and a requirement to register as a sex offender. The charges reported across the two outlets are possession of child sexual abuse material, promoting sexual performance by a child, and possession of child pornography.
Accounts of the conduct alleged also differ. Fox10 reported that Bradford Simmons admitted he had 20 illicit images and videos on his cell phone and 33 cached images on his laptop, stored child sexual abuse material on an external hard drive seized from his home, and used a program called "File Shredder" to conceal or destroy the illicit images. WCJB reported that Gainesville Police say Shalom Barnes distributed child pornography through a Discord account that was uploading and sharing such material, and that Barnes admitted to investigators the account was his.
The agencies identified in the reporting as involved in the investigations are Gainesville Police, the FBI and the Mobile County Sheriff's Office Internet Crimes Against Children unit. The fact record available does not resolve which sentence or which account of the conduct applies to which defendant.
Aug 10, 2026, 8:18 p.m. ETFirst report
Gainesville Man, 20, Sentenced to Seven Years on Child Sex Abuse Material Charges
A 20-year-old Gainesville, Fla., man has been sentenced to seven years in prison on child sex crime charges, WCJB reported. The outlet reported that Shalom Barnes was also ordered to register as a sex offender.
According to WCJB, the charges were possession of child sexual abuse material and promoting sexual performance by a child.
Gainesville Police say Barnes distributed child pornography through a Discord account that was uploading and sharing child pornography, and that Barnes admitted to investigators the account was his, WCJB reported. Gainesville Police is the investigating agency named in the report.
This account is based on a single published report and remains developing. No further details of the case — including the timeline of the investigation or the court that imposed the sentence — are established in the available record.

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