Attorney General James Uthmeier Announces Conviction of Cape Coral Predator for Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the Office of Statewide Prosecution has secured the conviction of Eduardo Antonio Arango Ruiz, 70, of Cape Coral, on 20 counts of possession, control, or intentional viewing of child sexual abuse material.

"This predator is facing decades behind bars, which is right where he belongs," said Attorney General James Uthmeier. "Thanks to the hard work and dedication of Chief Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Tim Donnelly and Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Agnieszka Thomas, and our partners at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Lake County Sheriff's Office, this monster is off the streets and away from our children."

The investigation began in July 2025 after the Lake County Sheriff's Office identified a user on a peer-to-peer file-sharing network making child sexual abuse material available for download. The activity was traced to Arango Ruiz's Cape Coral residence.

On August 12, 2025, Florida Department of Law Enforcement special agents, with assistance from the Cape Coral Police Department, executed a search warrant at the residence and seized multiple computers and digital storage devices. Forensic examination confirmed numerous files of child sexual abuse material.

Arango Ruiz was arrested on August 18, 2025, on 10 counts. He was subsequently charged with 20 counts of possession, control, or intentional viewing of child sexual abuse material. Because he possessed 10 or more images of child pornography, each count was enhanced to a second-degree felony.

After approximately one hour of deliberation, the jury found Arango Ruiz guilty as charged on all 20 counts. Sentencing is scheduled for October 5, 2026. His lowest permissible sentence is 35 years, and he faces up to 300 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.

The case was prosecuted in the Twentieth Judicial Circuit by Chief Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Tim Donnelly and Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Agnieszka Thomas.

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