A Morgan County man will spend the equivalent of 160 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to multiple child sexual exploitation charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama.
U.S. District Judge Liles C. Burke sentenced Caleb Sean Wheeler, 28, of Hartselle, to 1,920 months in prison — equal to 160 years — followed by a lifetime of supervised release.
Court records show Wheeler pleaded guilty in January to four counts of sexual exploitation of children as well as transportation and possession of child pornography charges. Prosecutors said Wheeler produced three videos and one image depicting child sexual abuse material in June 2025 and transported the material.
Acting U.S. Attorney Catherine L. Crosby said the sentence reflects the office’s commitment to protecting children from exploitation crimes.
“With the help of our law enforcement partners, Wheeler will spend the rest of his life in federal prison unable to hurt another child,” Crosby said.
David R. Fitzgibbons, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Birmingham, said the exploitation of children demands “immediate and vigorous action” from law enforcement agencies working to identify victims and prosecute offenders.
“At the FBI, we are committed to doing everything in our power, with a sense of urgency and in collaboration with our partners, to protect innocent children and bring predators to justice,” Fitzgibbons said.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The FBI Birmingham Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated the case with assistance from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency/State Bureau of Investigations Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, Huntsville Police Department and Decatur Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White prosecuted the case.
