Cory Todd Cox, 38, from Noblesville, has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison and will be subject to a lifetime of supervised release after pleading guilty to two counts related to child sexual abuse material. According to court documents, on November 28, 2023, Cox sent and received several images depicting the sexual abuse of prepubescent minors through text messages.
Law enforcement executed search warrants at Cox’s residence on December 6, 2023. During the search, officers recovered three cell phones used by Cox for transmitting and storing illegal material. He also admitted to having a Dropbox account containing about five videos and thirty-one images involving child sexual abuse.
At the time of his arrest, Cox was already on probation for a previous offense and was listed as a registered sex offender. His criminal record includes convictions for sexual misconduct with a minor in 2007, sexual battery in 2008, and child solicitation in 2017 when he attempted to solicit sex from a thirteen-year-old using Facebook Messenger.
“Despite his history as a dangerous contact sex offender, the defendant chose to reoffend. His actions ensure that images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children will circulate in perpetuity, which unequivocally contributes to the trauma experienced by the abused children depicted in his collection,” said Tom Wheeler, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. “He has no place in civilized society and will spend the next 15 years in federal prison where he belongs, thanks to the important work of the U.S. Secret Service and Noblesville Police Department.”
“The U.S. Secret Service is dedicated to protecting children from sexual predators and will vigorously pursue repeat offenders. This defendant’s lengthy criminal history and propensity to reoffend is beyond disturbing,” said Special Agent in Charge Ike Barnes, of the U.S. Secret Service’s Indianapolis Field Office. “I commend the work of the Noblesville Police Department, our partners, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana for bringing this man to justice.”
The case was investigated by both the U.S. Secret Service and Noblesville Police Department. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler acknowledged Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carolyn Haney and MaryAnn T. Mindrum for prosecuting this case.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006—which brings together federal, state, and local resources with an aim to find offenders who exploit children online as well as identify victims (https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdin/project-safe-childhood).
Individuals affected by child exploitation are encouraged to contact their local police departments or seek further resources available through official channels.
