NEWS

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) announced the arrest of three Central Florida men following a statewide investigation into the online possession and sharing of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to FDLE, Martin Theodore Cassady, 60, of Maitland, and Jorge Nieto, 39, of Apopka, were each charged with 40 counts of possession of CSAM. Joel Orellana, 25, of Kissimmee, faces two counts. The arrests were the result of multiple tips submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), with assistance from local law enforcement agencies.

Florida Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins highlighted the evolving digital landscape children must navigate today.

“You have to understand the dynamic our children deal with today,” Collins said. “Everything is technologically driven. Kids don’t have conversations with just someone across the room from them or face-to-face. They have conversations with people all over the planet.”

FDLE said the investigation into Cassady began in April after cybercrime task force agents received a tip that an internet user had uploaded and shared more than 1,500 images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children. A search warrant was later executed at Cassady’s Maitland residence.

The investigation into Nieto began in July after agents received more than 50 tips involving a cloud storage account used to upload and share CSAM, according to FDLE.

Authorities said the investigation into Orellana began in August after agents received a tip that CSAM files were uploaded through a search engine. Following a residential search warrant and forensic analysis, Orellana was identified as the user responsible.

Collins also urged parents to remain actively engaged in their children’s online activity.

“We were just talking about it as dads,” Collins said. “We’ve got to protect our loved ones. There is nothing more important to me than protecting my family — you protecting yours.”

The arrests were announced as the Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Conference got underway, bringing together law enforcement agencies from across the state for training focused on combating online child exploitation.

During an interview at the conference, Jay Houston, Director of Training at Child Rescue Coalition spoke about what set him on a lifelong mission to protect children from online predators.

“The first rescue or the first set of handcuffs you put on a suspect who is downloading and trading this material, and what an impact it has on the community,” Houston said.

When asked about the message he hopes to send to those committing these crimes, Collins was direct.

“Don’t do it,” Collins said. “You will be held accountable.”

Houston echoed that warning.

“I would say to the suspects, stop,” Houston said. “Because law enforcement is coming.”

FDLE said the investigation remains active and that additional charges are pending. These arrests highlight the critical role law enforcement plays in protecting children and the importance of providing investigators with advanced tools, training, and technology to identify offenders and rescue victims. By supporting Child Rescue Coalition, you directly equip law enforceent to act faster, protect more children, and stop abuse.

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