A Trussville man has been indicted on child sexual exploitation charges, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations Acting Special Agent in Charge Travis Picard.

A five-count indictment filed in the U.S. District Court charges Dakota Dale Ray Wilcox, 21, with four counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography occurring between May 2021 and February 2023 in St. Clair County.

If you suspect a child might be a victim of exploitation, call the HSI Tip Line at 1-866-347-2423 and fill out the online NCMEC CyberTipline form at report.cybertip.org/.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). The project marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, and to help identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.

The maximum penalty for sexual exploitation of children is 30 years in prison. The maximum penalty for possession of child pornography is 20 years in prison.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White is prosecuting the case.

An indictment contains only charges. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.