Details released by the Justice Department’s Middle District of Florida on Friday reveal that Wallace’s sentencing followed his arrest in 2023, when he was discovered with a missing child from Jacksonville. This case has drawn considerable attention due to the grave nature of the offenses involved.

According to the Department of Justice, Wallace entered a guilty plea to the charges on August 26, 2025. His sentence not only includes the lengthy prison term but also mandates 25 years of supervised release. Furthermore, Wallace is required to register as a sexual offender, an obligation that will extend beyond his incarceration.

The case began when Jacksonville sheriff’s officers responded to a report on November 2, 2023, involving a missing 12-year-old girl. Their investigation led them to a Greyhound bus station, where Wallace was found with the child, setting off a chain of events that culminated in his conviction.

According to court documents, on Nov. 2, 2023, Jacksonville sheriff’s officers responded to a Greyhound bus station to investigate a missing 12-year-old girl.

The DOJ says officers located the girl with Wallace, who had purchased a bus ticket to California for himself and the child. Wallace was arrested, while the child was reunited with her mother, according to the DOJ.

A search of Wallace’s electronic devices revealed that he and the missing girl had began talking on social media when the girl was 10 years old.

“Wallace’s cellphone contained videos of the child engaging in sexually explicit conduct,” the DOJ said in its release. “There were also numerous videos and images found on Wallace’s devices containing children engaging in sexually explicit conduct.”

“The exploitation of children leaves scars that last a lifetime—including invisible scars not only for the victims, but for their families and communities,” said Homeland Security Investigations Jacksonville Assistant Special Agent in Charge Tim Hemker. “Wallace’s actions were calculated, predatory, and deeply destructive. His calculated attempt to flee across state lines with a minor victim—boarding a bus bound for California—shows the lengths predators will go to evade justice and continue their abuse. Child exploitation is not a crime that ends when the abuse stops; it inflicts lifelong trauma on victims and their families. HSI and our INTERCEPT Task Force partners will remain relentless in our pursuit of justice for victims.”