Below is an official statement from the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Ocala, Florida – U.S. District Judge Thomas P. Barber sentenced John Don Bannister Jr., 31, Clermont, to 28 years in federal prison for two counts of production of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). Mr. Bannister entered his guilty plea on July 21, 2025.
According to court documents, on April 26, 2023 and May 4, 2023, in Lake County, Bannister filmed himself engaging in sexual activity with a 14-year-old child and created a CSAM. An investigation by law enforcement revealed that Bannister provided vape pens and drugs to minors. In exchange for these items, Bannister asked the minors to provide nude images of themselves.
The incident was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Mascot Police Department. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Sarah Janet Schwartzberg.
This is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood mobilizes federal, state, and local resources to discover, arrest, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
