MIAMI – A registered sex offender from Ohio was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a 14-year-old girl from South Florida, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced Friday.
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According to a news release, Adam Gino James Cotte, 36, met the victim on an internet messaging website.
“In August 2022, he communicated with her through social media, text messages, and video chats,” the news release stated. “During their exchanges, Cotte (located in Ohio) directed the 14-year-old girl (located in South Florida) to take and send him nude images of herself. In addition, Cotte instructed the victim to have her friend (also a 14-year-old child) record a video of herself masturbating.”
According to prosecutors, at the time Cotte was communicating with the victim, he was already a registered sex offender after having been convicted in Ohio of a state child exploitation crime in 2020.
Prosecutors said Cotte confessed to the latest accusations against him and pleaded guilty on Oct. 29, 2024, to one count of attempted production of visual depictions involving the sexual exploitation of minors.
“In addition to the 30-year prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom sentenced Cotte to a lifetime of supervised release after prison,” the news release stated.
He will also have to register as a sex offender in Florida.
A restitution hearing has been set for May 23.