A 24-year-old Tampa man is facing more than 100 felony charges after Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office detectives say they found over 100 files of child sexual abuse material stored on his cellphone. Abraham Espinosa Alazo was arrested following a residential search warrant executed Tuesday on Canterbury Lake Boulevard, with investigators saying some of the material depicted the sexual abuse of juveniles as young as infants.
The warrant was carried out by HCSO's Internet Predator Unit with assistance from the agency's SWAT team, according to HCSO. The search stemmed from concerns that child sexual abuse material had been uploaded to Facebook, and detectives say they subsequently located a cellphone belonging to Espinosa Alazo containing the files. HCSO has not said what initially flagged the Facebook upload to law enforcement.
A man is behind bars after detectives found more than 100 files of child sexual abuse material on his phone.
— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) August 19, 2026
On August 18, 2026, HCSO's Internet Predator Unit, along with the HCSO SWAT Team, served a residential search warrant at a residence on Canterbury Lake Blvd in Tampa in… pic.twitter.com/YjSLwrRG6J
Espinosa Alazo was charged with 100 counts of solicitation or possession of child sexual abuse material involving ten or more images, nine counts of in-state transmission of child sexual abuse material by electronic device, and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communications device, bringing his total charge count to 109.
How Florida Law Multiplies the Charges
Florida treats each individual digital file as its own criminal offense, which is why a single phone can generate a triple-digit charge count. Under Florida Statute § 827.071, each image or video file of child sexual abuse material constitutes a separate third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, according to Joshi Law.
The stakes can rise further depending on what the material depicts. Florida Statute § 775.0847 reclassifies possession charges from third-degree to second-degree felonies — raising maximum prison exposure from five to 15 years per count — when a suspect possesses 10 or more images and at least one depicts a child under five or sexual battery, per the Brancato Law Firm. Separately, transmitting such material electronically within Florida is prosecuted under Florida Statute § 847.0137, which classifies each instance of sharing or uploading as its own third-degree felony carrying up to five years in prison, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The two-way communications device charge stems from Florida Statute § 934.215, which makes using a phone or computer to facilitate a felony its own independent third-degree offense, carrying up to five years and a $5,000 fine per count, per Pumphrey Law.
Part of a Broader Local Crackdown
HCSO created its dedicated Internet Predator Unit in 2024 to address rising digital child exploitation crimes, and by this month the unit had logged 368 arrests, operating alongside HCSO's Sexual Predator Unit, which recorded 236 arrests over the same period, per HCSO figures cited by Patch. Earlier this month, HCSO and the Florida Office of Statewide Prosecution completed Operation Relentless Summer, a countywide push that resulted in 116 arrests and recovered five human trafficking victims, a case Hoodline covered in a report on 116 arrests.
The unit's activity this year has been sustained. Between January and February, a multi-week undercover sting by the Internet Predator Unit and HCSO's Human Trafficking Section led to 89 arrests and a combined 1,217 felony charges against online predators, the sheriff's office has reported. A four-day undercover operation in April 2025 resulted in 15 additional arrests of suspects who used messaging apps and social media to arrange encounters with people they believed were minors.
Cases involving triple-digit charge counts tied to single devices have become a recurring pattern in Hillsborough County. Hoodline has previously reported on similar Internet Predator Unit search warrants resulting in around 100 CSAM counts, including a Tampa case in which deputies salvaged smashed devices and another involving a Ruskin arrest tied to a social media tip.
Legal Exposure and Registry Requirements
Anyone convicted of felony child sexual abuse material offenses in Florida faces mandatory lifetime registration on the state's Sexual Offender and Predator Registry under Florida Statute § 775.21, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. HCSO has said it does not monitor social media accounts around the clock, and the agency describes its mission as protecting and defending the community while preserving the rights and dignity of all residents.
It remains unclear how investigators were originally alerted to the material uploaded to Facebook, whether additional devices were recovered during the Canterbury Lake Boulevard search, or whether federal authorities will pursue separate charges. Anyone with information can contact HCSO at 813-247-8200.
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