Arcadia Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Prison for Travelling to Sexually Exploit Minors

Fort Myers, FL - Vincent Anthony Principe (55, Arcadia) was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Kyle C. Dudek to 30 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime supervised release, for the production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) of victims as young as eight years old. Principe must also register as a sex offender. Principe pleaded guilty on April 30, 2026.

According to court documents, Principe traveled to the Philippines over the course of several years and sexually abused four minors, including one as young as eight. He sexually abused children and documented the abuse on video. He then published the videos on a website devoted to child exploitation. He also possessed over a hundred images of child sexual abuse material, including those depicting the exploitation of pre-pubescent children.

"The vile actions of this child predator who exploited children while traveling internationally is reprehensible," said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. "Working closely with our law enforcement partners, we remain committed to investigating and prosecuting those who prey on children."

"The defendant's vile acts not only caused serious harm through his sexual abuse of multiple minors, but he also inflicted added layers to that harm by memorializing the abuse and distributing it to other offenders," said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "No child predator will find safe haven in the United States. The Department is committed to holding U.S. citizens accountable for harming children whether committed in the United States or internationally."

"The Secret Service is committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society from exploitation and abuse," said the Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Forrest of the U.S. Secret Service's (USSS) Criminal Investigative Division. "This sentence reflects the seriousness of the defendant's crimes and underscores our dedication to working with U.S. and international partners to ensure offenders are brought to justice, no matter where their crimes occur."

The USSS conducted the investigation with support from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, the Queensland Police Service, and Europol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Yolande Viacava and Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Justice Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.