A judge sentenced a 41-year-old Bradenton man to life in prison on child sexual assault charges, according to the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida. A federal jury convicted Roger Lee Caldwell Jr. in February of manufacturing child sexual abuse material, possessing child sexual abuse material, and transporting kids to engage in sexual behavior, according to a news release.
After the jury found Caldwell guilty, U.S. District Judge Kathryn K. Mizelle sentenced him to life in prison. Prosecutors claim Caldwell sexually molested two girls over a six-year period and created an image of one of the kids while forcing them to perform a sex act. According to investigators, the image seized from Caldwell’s phone showed him wearing a “uniquely designed belt” that he was also wearing when apprehended.
Prosecutors claim the victims reported Caldwell’s sexual assault when he went out of state with the girls in 2022. According to the arrest report, Caldwell regularly sexually molested the girls at an Ohio hotel. An arrest report states that the girls were 13 and 12 years old at the time. When they returned to Florida, prosecutors say both juveniles told family members and law enforcement about the sexual abuse they had experienced.
According to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, officers discovered that Caldwell had been sexually abusing the girls “for several years.” According to the arrest report, one of the girls informed officers that Caldwell had sexually abused her since she was seven years old.
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According to the report, the girls reportedly said Caldwell threatened them with financial penalties if they told anyone. Law authorities discovered a collection of child sexual abuse material on a computer during a search of Caldwell’s residence, according to a news release.
According to a news release, the investigation was conducted by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bradenton Police Department, the Palmetto Police Department, and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.