Scott Matthew Yotka (48, Jacksonville) was sentenced to 60 years in prison by United States District Judge Marcia Morales Howard. He received this sentence for producing and distributing photos and videos depicting himself as he sexually abused two young children.
Furthermore, Yotka was ordered to serve a lifetime of supervised release and register as a sex offender. He has been in custody since being detained in September 17, 2021. On May 13, 2022, he pleaded guilty to the horrendous crimes.
According to court documents, Yotka, on September 15, 2021, engaged in online private conversations using a particular social media application (app) with an undercover FBI task force officer (UC) in Washington, D.C. He discussed in graphic detail his ongoing sexual exploitation of children and admitted to having access to two young children he continually molested.
Several photos and videos were sent by Yotka to the undercover officer showing two young children being sexually abused. He communicated using a screen name that investigators used to identify him. The agents then coordinated with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) and confirmed that Yotka was employed as a Police Emergency Communications Officer by JSO at the time.
A search warrant was executed by the FBI and the JSO early in the morning of September 17, 2021, and they found Yotka in his residence. Yotka admitted during an interview with law enforcement that he was the administrator of a chat room on the social media app for people that exploited children. He admitted sending explicit pictures of young children to another app user.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation helped to gather information on the case so that Yotka could be brought to justice.. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown. The forfeiture of assets was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Mai Tran.