Daphne Man Sentenced to over 24 Years for Child Sex Crime

MOBILE, AL - A Daphne man was sentenced on April 28, 2026, to 292 months in prison for Transportation of a Minor Across State Lines for Criminal Sexual Activity.

According to court documents, Forrest Sanford, 25, was the subject of an anonymous tip made to law enforcement in December of 2023. The tipster reported Sanford was boasting about obtaining sexual images from a minor over the internet. The Baldwin County Sheriff's Office began investigating the tip and obtained a search warrant for Sanford's residence.

While at the residence, Sanford was interviewed. Sanford admitted he would pose as a minor to obtain nude images of minors online. He additionally admitted to being in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old female in 2021. He was an adult at the time. Sanford elaborated that he would drive to her home in Mississippi and have sexual intercourse with her. He also admitted he would drive to Mississippi and pick her up and transport her to Alabama to engage in sexual intercourse. The minor victim was identified and confirmed Sanford's admissions. Several images of the minor were obtained from Sanford's cell phone, including sexually explicit images.

Search warrants of Sanford's social media accounts revealed him misrepresenting his identity to obtain nude images. He would engage in conversation with other users who represented they were teenaged females and ask to trade nude images with them. Sanford also used social media to transmit obscene images of himself to users representing they were minors.

Sanford's term of incarceration will be followed by 15 years of supervised release. He was also required to pay $100 in special assessments. Upon his release from prison, Sanford will have to register as a sex offender and is to have no contact with minors.

U.S. Attorney Sean P. Costello of the Southern District of Alabama made the announcement.

The Department of Homeland Security and the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kacey Chappelear and Tandice H. Blackwood prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources