A 16-year-old Plant City teenager was arrested on 93 counts of possession of child pornography, nine counts of promotion of a sexual performance by a child, and four counts of lewd and lascivious molestation.
The investigation into the teenager started in September. Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Tampa Bay Regional Operations Center Cyber High-Tech Crime Squad were contacted by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations after it received a tip from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police that a computer user in Plant City was sharing images of child pornography online.
On Oct. 1 FDLE and HSI Agents executed a search warrant at the teenager’s house where they located numerous images of child pornography. During the course of the investigation, agents determined that he also molested the child in the images to produce the child pornography in his possession. He was arrested and charged with nine counts of promotion of a sexual performance by a child.
The Office of the State Attorney, 13th Judicial Circuit, additionally charged the teenager with 93 counts of possession of child pornography and four counts of lewd and lascivious molestation.
He was rearrested on Oct. 19 and booked into the Hillsborough County Jail. He is being held on $802,000 bond. He will be prosecuted as an adult by the Office of the State Attorney, 13th Judicial Circuit.
He attended Plant City High School and agents believe there may be additional victims.
If you have any information about him or this case, please contact Special Agent Michael Miller at the FDLE Tampa Bay Regional Operations Center at (800) 226-1140.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office also assisted in this investigation.