Staff Reports
A Gainesville man with strong ties to youth athletic programs in the Ocala area was arrested on Monday on 12 counts of child pornography distribution.
According to a Gainesville Police Department (GPD) release, officers arrested Frederick Landt IV, 38. Landt, who recently moved to Gainesville from the Ocala area, is believed to have strong ties with youth athletic programs in Ocala. GPD investigators do not believe that the images/videos obtained by Landt were obtained of children he knew, but GPD directs anyone with concerns to call 352-393-7730 or email montagueda@cityofgainesville.org.
On Dec. 8, 2022, the GPD Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Division executed a search warrant at 1706 NW 27th Terrace in Gainesville after receiving a Cyber Tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The tip indicated that a Kik user shared videos of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) through their messaging app.
The investigation revealed that videos were shared and accessed from two locations and were connected to Landt. The suspect was not at home during the time of the search warrant and GPD’s attempts to contact Landt were unsuccessful. Numerous electronic devices believed to be owned by Landt were collected and provided to the GPD.
In January, it was determined that an additional Cyber Tip assigned to GPD on Dec. 7 connected Landt and his Gainesville residence. This tip contained more than 20 images/videos of CSAM and a number of photographs of Landt.