A tip that child sexual abuse material was being uploaded through Google led Hillsborough County deputies and a SWAT team to a Tampa apartment on East 142nd Avenue on Thursday, where investigators say they found devices belonging to 38-year-old Florentino Perez-Gomez containing more than 100 files of child sexual abuse material and one bestiality file. Perez-Gomez was arrested and now faces more than 100 felony counts.
According to a statement posted by the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the agency's Internet Predator Unit and SWAT team served the search warrant at the apartment at 1803 East 142nd Avenue on August 27. The search yielded numerous devices belonging to Perez-Gomez, and investigators say those devices contained the illicit files. He was charged with 100 counts of solicitation or possession of child sexual abuse material involving 10 or more images, one count of possession of child sexual abuse material with intent to promote, one count of filming, distributing, or possessing an image or video of sexual activity with an animal, and one count of unlawful use of a two-way communications device. HCSO says he may face additional charges as the investigation continues.
On August 27, 2026, #teamHCSO's Internet Predator Unit and SWAT team served a search warrant at an apartment located at 1803 East 142nd Avenue in Tampa after receiving a tip that child sexual abuse material was being uploaded through Google.
— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) August 28, 2026
A search of the residence yielded… pic.twitter.com/IQdVs2xamA
The tip that set the case in motion originated with Google, which is legally required under federal law to report any suspected child sexual abuse material to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's CyberTipline, according to MissingKids.org. NCMEC then processes and forwards actionable leads to local agencies like HCSO. Tech companies including Google rely on automated perceptual hash-matching technology that converts known abuse images into unique digital signatures, letting systems flag duplicate uploads without a human reviewing every file, according to federal court filings referenced by the Supreme Court of the United States.
Why a Single Search Can Produce So Many Counts
Florida law treats each individual image or video file as its own criminal charge, which is why a single residential search can generate triple-digit felony counts. Simple possession of child sexual abuse material under Florida Statute § 827.071(5)(a) is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison per count, according to attorney Richard Hornsby. The intent-to-promote charge Perez-Gomez faces is more serious still — a second-degree felony under the same statute, carrying up to 15 years in prison and as much as $10,000 in fines, per Hanlon Law.
The bestiality-related charge falls under Florida Statute § 828.126, which makes possessing, filming, or distributing media depicting sexual activity involving an animal a third-degree felony carrying up to five years in prison following recent statutory revisions, according to the Florida Senate. The two-way communications device charge stems from Florida Statute § 934.215, which criminalizes using such a device to commit, facilitate, or further a felony offense — also a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years, per HCSO.
A Pattern Deputies Say They Track Closely
Sheriff Chad Chronister said in the agency's statement that the office will use every available resource to protect children and hold offenders accountable to the fullest extent of the law. He added that the Internet Predator Unit is relentless in identifying and removing predators from the community. HCSO's statement also declared that Hillsborough County has no place for people who prey on children.
The co-occurrence of child sexual abuse material and bestiality imagery in Perez-Gomez's case fits a pattern investigators have flagged before. A 2022 Florida legislative staff analysis found that people who commit animal abuse or bestiality are three times more likely to commit violent or sexual crimes against humans than the general population, a study lawmakers cited when updating the state's animal cruelty statutes. It's a dynamic HCSO's Internet Predator Unit has encountered repeatedly, including in a comparable case Hoodline covered involving a Lithia search warrant that also turned up bestiality files alongside abuse material.
Part of a Broader Enforcement Push
HCSO's Internet Predator Unit, established in 2024, has logged 368 arrests in its first two years of operation. Just months ago, in May 2026, the same unit executed a similar search warrant on Prism Circle in Tampa after another upload tip, seizing devices from a 29-year-old suspect that held over 1,000 CSAM files and five bestiality videos. Earlier this year, a multi-week joint crackdown by the Internet Predator Unit and HCSO's Human Trafficking Section produced 89 arrests and more than 1,200 felony charges tied to online exploitation of minors.
Investigators have not said whether the forensic review of Perez-Gomez's seized devices will turn up additional victims or further charges beyond the counts already filed. Anyone with information can reach HCSO at 813-247-8200, though the sheriff's office has noted its social media accounts are not monitored around the clock.
