A 25-year-old Palm Coast resident, Andrew Da Silva, is headed to Florida state prison for five years after admitting he possessed child sexual abuse material. Da Silva pleaded guilty on March 4 and was sentenced this week. Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols also ordered 10 years of sex‑offender probation and required him to register as a sex offender, wrapping up an investigation that started when a cyber tip flagged explicit content shared through a messaging app.
Judge Hands Down Prison Time and Long Probation
Prosecutors charged Da Silva with 12 counts of possession of a sexual performance by a child, with each count enhanced under Florida law. Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols imposed a five‑year state prison sentence, followed by a decade of sex‑offender probation and mandatory registration, according to a press release from the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.
Tip, Raid and Digital Trail
Investigators say the case began in October 2024, when the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children sent a cyber tip about a user sharing child sexual abuse material on the Kik Messenger app. Detectives later executed a search warrant at 108 Woodhaven Drive in Palm Coast and seized several devices. "Digital Forensics Unit detectives and K-9 Birdie located multiple communication and storage devices," the Flagler County Sheriff's Office said. Law enforcement documented more than 70 instances in which Da Silva allegedly possessed, viewed or transmitted the material during the seven‑month investigation.
Second Child-Exploitation Conviction the Same Day
Da Silva’s guilty plea landed just hours after a separate plea and sentence for 26‑year‑old Jacksonville resident Amias Mabini in another child‑exploitation case. Sheriff Rick Staly publicly credited investigators and prosecutors for the back‑to‑back outcomes, saying, "Our detectives and partners at the State Attorney's Office secured guilty pleas and convictions for two perverts on the same day," as reported by Flagler County Buzz.
Arrest, High Bond and Detention
Following the seven‑month probe by the FCSO Cyber Crimes/ICAC Unit and the Northeast Florida Inter‑Agency Child Exploitation and Persons Trafficking Task Force, deputies arrested Da Silva on May 20, 2025. He was booked into the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and held on a $250,000 bond, as first reported by WESH.
What the Plea Deal Means
Under the plea agreement, Da Silva will first serve his state prison term, then begin 10 years of sex‑offender probation, during which he must comply with registration rules under Florida law. The counts he admitted to were enhanced under state statutes, increasing the penalties attached to each possession charge, Flagler County Buzz reported.
How Child-Exploitation Cases Like This Are Built
The Da Silva case was handled by NEFL INTERCEPT, a regional task force that teams local sheriff’s offices with state and federal agencies on child exploitation and trafficking cases. Many of those investigations begin when the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children receives a cyber tip from a tech platform and passes it to law enforcement. NCMEC also assists with digital forensics and victim identification, according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The conviction was also reported by News Daytona Beach.
