TALLAHASSEE — A 46-year-old Southport man has been indicted in federal court on three counts related to child sexual exploitation, including transportation and possession of child pornography and destruction of property to prevent its search and seizure, U.S. Attorney John P. Heekin announced.
John Massimiani III appeared for arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Martin A. Fitzpatrick in Tallahassee. If convicted, Massimiani faces a minimum of 5 years’ imprisonment and up to 20 years on the transportation of child pornography count, up to 20 years on the possession count, and up to 5 years for the destruction of property count.
The case is being jointly investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bay County Sheriff’s Office with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meredith L. Steer is prosecuting the case.
The indictment was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet and to identify and rescue victims.
An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. “All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.”
Jury trial is scheduled for July 20, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. before District Judge Mark E. Walker in Tallahassee.