Lehigh Acres Man Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Possessing and Accessing with Intent to View Child Sexual Abuse Images and Videos
Fort Myers, Florida / Monday, February 9, 2026 – Leon Mark Jewett (70, Lehigh Acres) was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell to five years in federal prison for possessing and accessing with intent to view images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. He pleaded guilty on October 6, 2025. Jewett was also sentenced to a life term of supervised release and ordered to register as a sex offender. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.
According to court documents, from April through December 2024, Jewett possessed and accessed with intent to view child sex abuse material that he searched for and downloaded from the internet.
In December 2024, Jewett brought his laptops into a store in Port Charlotte for repair. During the repair of one of his laptops, the store technician observed child sex abuse material on Jewett’s laptop. Law enforcement was contacted.
Pursuant to a search warrant, the FBI seized and conducted a forensic analysis on two of Jewett’s laptops, which revealed images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.
This is another case 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.justice.gov/psc.
Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida
