UF student arrested for soliciting sexual photos from children

Staff report

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Arthur Gabriel Young, 22, was arrested yesterday and charged with six felonies related to the solicitation and transmission of child pornography.

On October 15, 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a CyberTip from Discord, reporting that a user account contained images related to child exploitation, including “likely grooming or other child harm.”

On October 21, 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.

The GPD detective reported that the information received from Discord included selfies of Young and an image of a computer screen identifying Young as a University of Florida student. On January 27, 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, a search warrant was executed at his apartment, but nobody was there. A laptop was seized from his bedroom, and photos of his bedroom and bathroom reportedly matched the background and objects in images in the Discord accounts. A Publix uniform and Young’s nametag were also reportedly found in his bedroom.

Detectives made contact with Young near the football stadium on campus, and post Miranda, Young declined to answer any questions.

Young has been charged with two counts of soliciting a child to commit an illegal sexual act, two counts of transmitting material harmful to a minor, possession of child pornography, and use of a two-way communications device to facilitate a felony. He has no local criminal history, and Judge Meshon Rawls set bail at $120,000, which he has posted.

Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.