Jacksonville Man Indicted for Downloading Child Sexual Abuse Videos Using the Internet

Jacksonville, Florida - Andy Robert Ardelean (35, Jacksonville) has been charged by indictment with using the internet to download and receive videos depicting young children being sexually abused. If convicted, Ardelean faces a minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 20 years, in federal prison and a potential lifetime term of supervised release. Ardelean was arrested on May 19, 2026. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

According to court documents, between December 2025 and March 2026, detectives from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office conducted an online investigation of individuals using the internet to receive and share child sex abuse material. This investigation revealed that a computer using an internet protocol (IP) address in Jacksonville was hosting child sexual abuse videos that were available for sharing over the internet. The detectives connected to this computer on several occasions and were able to download numerous videos depicting young children being sexually abused. Further investigation revealed that the IP address resolved to a residence where Ardelean lived.

On May 19, 2026, FBI agents executed a federal search warrant at Ardelean's residence and seized a laptop computer from his bedroom. A forensic review of the laptop showed that on April 23, 2026, the computer was used to download and receive at least one video depicting a young child being sexually abused.

This case was investigated by the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown.

It is another case brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify, rescue, and seek justice for child victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.