FORT MYERS — A 55-year-old Arcadia man who traveled to the Philippines over several years to sexually abuse children as young as eight was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, one of three cases announced the same day by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida that together carry 65 years of prison time for child exploitation, sex trafficking and a $65 million mortgage fraud scheme.
Vincent Anthony Principe received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Kyle C. Dudek, along with lifetime supervised release and a requirement to register as a sex offender. According to court documents, Principe sexually abused four minors in the Philippines, documented the abuse on video, and published the recordings on a website devoted to child exploitation. He also possessed over a hundred images of child sexual abuse material, including images depicting the exploitation of pre-pubescent children. Principe pleaded guilty on April 30, 2026.
“The vile actions of this child predator who exploited children while traveling internationally is reprehensible,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “Working closely with our law enforcement partners, we remain committed to investigating and prosecuting those who prey on children.”
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said Principe’s crimes compounded harm by recording and distributing the abuse. “No child predator will find safe haven in the United States,” Duva said. “The Department is committed to holding U.S. citizens accountable for harming children whether committed in the United States or internationally.”
Acting Special Agent in Charge Andrew Forrest of the U.S. Secret Service’s Criminal Investigative Division, which led the investigation, said the sentence reflects the gravity of the crimes. “The Secret Service is committed to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society from exploitation and abuse,” Forrest said. “This sentence reflects the seriousness of the defendant’s crimes and underscores our dedication to working with U.S. and international partners to ensure offenders are brought to justice, no matter where their crimes occur.” The investigation drew support from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the U.S. Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service, the Queensland Police Service and Europol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Yolande Viacava and Trial Attorney McKenzie Hightower of the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section prosecuted the case.
The Principe case was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
In a separate case announced the same day in Tampa, Jazzmen La Vone Gaskins, 39, of Texas, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell to 15 years in federal prison for sex trafficking. Gaskins pleaded guilty on April 2, 2026. According to court documents, between July 2023 and March 2024, Gaskins trafficked a victim using force, threats of force, fraud and coercion to cause the victim to engage in a commercial sex act. The court entered a forfeiture order of $40,000, representing the proceeds of the trafficking. Homeland Security Investigations and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Derry.
Also announced the same day, former Florida resident Armando Martinez, 51, now of Plano, Texas, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant III of the Eastern District of Texas to 20 years in federal prison for bank fraud. Martinez, whose Florida appraiser’s license had been revoked, took over the identity and license number of a legitimate licensed appraiser and purportedly conducted onsite appraisals for dozens of Florida properties. In reality, Martinez paid others to photograph the properties while he completed the appraisals remotely after fleeing the United States to the Dominican Republic.
The fraudulent appraisals induced financial institutions to approve and fund mortgage loans and pay Martinez appraisal fees. More than $65 million in mortgages are now impaired or defective as a result, according to court documents. Those mortgages were either guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration or purchased and guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The Federal Housing Finance Agency Office of Inspector General and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General investigated the case, prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Chris Poor.
The Martinez prosecution aligns with the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, created on April 7, 2026, whose mission is to investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. That effort supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance, targeting fraud, waste and abuse within federal benefit programs.
All three defendants have been sentenced and face no further scheduled court appearances. Kehoe’s office did not indicate whether additional co-conspirators or related charges are pending in any of the three cases.