FISHERS, Ind. — A man from Fishers will spend more than a decade in federal prison after admitting to showing sexually explicit images to children on online chat services.
Robert Ficzner, 27, told investigators he showed an image of a naked 5-year-old to others users on Omegle, a video-chatting website. Omegle contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
In March 2022, investigators questioned Ficzner about the incident, and he said he did it to get a reaction out of other users. He also admitted to sharing and receiving child sexual abuse material on instant messenger apps Kik and Telegram.
"Civilized society will not tolerate the trafficking of images of the sexual torture of babies and toddlers," said Zachary A. Myers, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. "Even worse, this defendant discussed his desires and plans to kidnap and sexually abuse children with likeminded offenders online. The serious sentence imposed here demonstrates that federal, state, and local law enforcement will root out those criminals who pose a danger to our children, prosecute them, and get them off our streets."
During a search of Ficzner's cellphone, they found more than 600 images and depictions of sex abuse of infants and toddlers, along with conversations he had with others, planning to kidnap and sexually abuse children.
A judge sentenced Ficzner to 13 years in prison.
"This sentencing shows just how damaging Ficzner's crimes against children are and emphasizes HSI's dedication to hold perpetrators accountable," said Sean Fitzgerald, Homeland Security investigations special agent in charge of the Chicago area.
The case was part of a nationwide initiative called Project Safe Childhood, designed to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. To learn more about the initiative, click here.
