Clearwater Man Who Enticed Teens For Sex, Photos Sentenced To Prison

CLEARWATER, FL — A Clearwater man will spend 10 years in prison after authorities said he enticed dozens of girls to send him sexually explicit photos in exchange for money, vapes and alcohol.

Caleb Belanger, 25, was sentenced on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to enticing a minor to engage in sexual activity and possession of child sexual abuse material, U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg announced in a news release.

According to court documents, Belanger enticed approximately 30 girls, between the ages of 13 and 17 years old, to take sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves and send the images to him through an app on his cell phone. Prosecutors said he also offered money in exchange for sex and other sexual acts.

When authorities searched Belanger’s home and seized his iPhone and iPad, investigators discovered more than 1,200 images and 111 videos of child sexual abuse material on the devices.

Belanger will also serve a lifetime of supervised release following his prison sentence, prosecutors said.

The case was investigated by the Department of Homeland Security, the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office, and the Tarpon Springs, St. Petersburg, and Tampa police departments.