Former UF student indicted on federal child exploitation charges

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Arthur Gabriel Young, 23, a former UF student from Miramar, Florida, has been federally charged with six counts of sexual exploitation of children by producing child pornography, one count of receipt of child pornography, and one count of possession of child pornography. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida announced the charges.

Young appeared for his arraignment in federal court before United States Magistrate Judge Midori A. Lowry in Gainesville, Florida. His jury trial is scheduled for May 27, 2026, before Chief District Court Judge Allen C. Winsor.

Original arrest

The investigation arose from a CyberTip from Discord on October 15, 2024, and a few days later, a Gainesville Police Department (GPD) detective was contacted by a detective from the Westminster Police Department in Colorado, who said the tip originated from a walk-in report from a parent who discovered that her 12-year-old daughter had sent sexual photos of herself to several suspects, including one identified as Arthur Gabriel Young. The victim reportedly told Young early in the conversation that she was 12, and he reportedly said he was 21. The conversation continued from the end of May 2024 to September 18, when the victim’s mother discovered the chat and sent Young a message: “Hey F**ker!! I hope you know that my daughter is 12!! I will be reporting this chat. I hope you like being a registered sex offender.”

The chat reportedly included requests from Young’s account for photos, sometimes involving objects, and the victim provided the requested images. The account also reportedly sent the child images of his genitals and videos that showed him masturbating. The child reportedly said she and Young would engage in video calls while they were both nude in the shower.

On January 27, 2025, the University of Florida Police Department provided Young’s address to the GPD detective.

The detective reported that information provided by Discord in response to a subpoena revealed that Young identified himself as “Arthur” in “numerous” chats, and in one chat he wrote, “It’s Arthur the Publix Worker.” He also wrote that he lived at the Lark (1245 SW 11th Avenue). One victim reportedly said she was 14, and others said they were 16 and 13. Young allegedly told several victims that he was 17. The detective wrote that because it appeared Young was chatting with several minors, additional charges are pending.

IP addresses used by Young’s account were associated with a family member’s house in Miramar, Lark/Nine, UF Computing & Network Services, and the Publix at 203 SW 13th Street.

The detective noted that the Discord account contained an image of Young wearing a Publix uniform with a Mandalorian helmet, standing in front of a Publix sign with the address “203” visible and a Starbucks sign under the Publix sign. The detective reported that Young’s social media lists him as an “S-Tier Publix Deli Clerk.”

On February 25, after a search warrant was executed at his unoccupied apartment, detectives made contact with Young near the football stadium on campus, and post Miranda, Young declined to answer any questions.

Young faces a minimum of 15 years per count of production of child pornography

If convicted, Young faces a minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment, and up to 30 years’ imprisonment, on the production of child pornography counts. Young also faces up to 20 years’ imprisonment on the receipt and possession counts.

The case was jointly investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Gainesville Police Department, and the Westminster Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner.

An indictment is merely an allegation by a grand jury that a defendant has committed a violation of federal criminal law and is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial, during which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice and led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Divisions Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), it marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.