A 20-year-old St. Augustine man is facing nine felony charges after agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement say an undercover investigation led to a search of a dormitory in Atlanta, where he had a residence. Zachary Szilagyi was arrested on six counts of promoting child sexual abuse material and three counts of using a computer to solicit a child, according to FDLE.
The case was reported by News4JAX and stems from an undercover investigation that began in September 2026. FDLE agents said Szilagyi sent files depicting the sexual abuse of children and tried to persuade an undercover persona to sexually abuse a fictitious younger sibling, according to the station's report.
Dorm Search Turned Up Phone Evidence
Investigators reportedly learned Szilagyi was moving to Atlanta. On November 2, FDLE agents searched his Atlanta dormitory residence and collected his phone, which agents said contained multiple files of child sexual abuse material, per the same account.
FDLE investigators worked with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office before obtaining an arrest warrant, the report notes. Szilagyi is now being extradited to Florida and is being held on a $725,000 bond, according to FDLE.
Office of Statewide Prosecution to Handle Case
The Attorney General's Office of Statewide Prosecution will handle the case going forward, per the report. Under Florida law, that office is constitutionally directed to prosecute crimes that impact two or more judicial circuits in the state, according to the Florida Attorney General's Office. A separate statute classifies online solicitation of a child as a third-degree felony, according to the Florida Legislature.
The investigation remains active, and additional charges against Szilagyi are pending, the report states. The allegations have not been established in court.
Part of a Broader Statewide Push
The arrest arrives amid a sustained statewide crackdown on crimes against children. Florida has arrested more than 2,000 people accused of preying on children since Attorney General James Uthmeier took office in February 2025, according to CBS12. The Attorney General's Office says Crimes Against Children prosecutions since that time have produced nearly 693 years of combined prison sentences, more than four times the previous monthly rate, per that report. Officials said the statewide total spans cases involving possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material, online solicitation, and undercover investigations.
St. Johns County has seen its own undercover enforcement push in recent memory. Operation Safe Passage, conducted there in September 2025, resulted in 17 arrests, according to earlier Hoodline reporting on a separate case. Nationally, Internet Crimes Against Children task forces conducted nearly 347,000 investigations in 2025, leading to more than 17,000 arrests, per that same report.
