Phone Sex Operator Charged with Child Sexual Abuse Material Offenses

Tampa, FL -Debra Jean Schilling (71, Largo) has been charged by indictment with receipt, distribution, and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). If convicted on all counts, Schilling faces a maximum penalty of 60 years in federal prison. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to the indictment and court proceedings, in her employment as a phone sex operator, Schilling received and distributed CSAM to her clients in furtherance of their sexual conversations. Additionally, she possessed CSAM on her iCloud account.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It will be prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abigail K. King.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.