North Vernon man sentenced for sexual exploitation of a minor

A North Vernon man is heading to prison for 25 years for sexually exploiting a toddler.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Indiana is announcing that 26-year-old Gage Campos has been sentenced to 25 years in prison, in addition to 20 years of supervised release and $10,000 in restitution to the  victim.

According to police reports, Campos was arrested in September after images of sexual exploitation of a child were found in his Google account and on a cell phone. The images were created between July and October of 2019, when the victim was toddler. Authorities also learned that Campos had a position of trust over the child.

In addition to sexually explicit images of the minor victim, forensic examiners also found evidence that Campos had been collecting child sexual abuse material for at least 4 years. Campos used Google to search for material and images related to the sexual abuse of children.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children identified the photos as being in Campos’ account and turned the evidence over to the Indiana State Police and FBI. Investigators identified Campos, recovered evidence from his residence, obtained a confession, and ensured the safety of the  victim.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.