Lehigh Acres sex offender sentenced to 10 years for possessing images of children being abused

Writer: Melissa Montoya
Published: Updated:
Steven Thomas Baryla (CREDIT: FDLE’ Sexual Offenders and Predators Search)

A Lehigh Acres man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for possessing images and videos of sexually abused children.

According to the Department of Justice, Steven Thomas Baryla, 39, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell after having pleaded guilty on Jan. 14.

Baryla was also sentenced to a lifetime term of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender.

Court documents showed that Baryla knowingly possessed the images and videos after downloading them from the internet, according to the news release. He also used social media apps Kik and Snapchat to download the images.

A search of Baryla’s home in 2019 led to 106 images and 10 videos of children being sexually abused. The history of the phone also showed searches for “best state for sex offenders to live in” and “registered sex offender name change.”

In 2011, Baryla was also convicted on federal charges of transporting child pornography in New Jersey.

 

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