MELBOURNE, Fla. (CBS12) — A Florida man will spend his life in prison after pleading guilty Tuesday to producing child sexual abuse material in a case that led to the rescue of six children overseas.
Investigators say Kasey Caudill was sentenced to two consecutive life terms following a 2024 tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about uploads on the Kik app.
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office’s ICAC Task Force traced the activity to a Melbourne home, where Caudill, who was already on sex offender probation for CSAM, was identified and arrested after a SWAT-assisted search.
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A review of his devices reportedly uncovered newly produced material, payments through PayPal, and Telegram messages directing a woman in the Philippines to sexually exploit her own children for money, officials said.
A joint operation with federal agents led to the arrest of the woman, Cindy Masarate, and the rescue of six children. She remains in custody overseas awaiting prosecution.
“I cannot thank our team enough, along with all of our partners, for their work on this case and rescuing these innocent child victims,” the sheriff said in a statement posted to Facebook. “They are the true life heroes of children in our community and elsewhere, and they are relentless in their pursuit of justice for innocent children!”