JACKSONVILLE — A 35-year-old Jacksonville man has been indicted on federal charges for using the internet to download and receive videos depicting the sexual abuse of young children, U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced.
Andy Robert Ardelean was arrested after FBI agents executed a federal search warrant at his residence and seized a laptop computer from his bedroom. A forensic review of the laptop showed that the computer was used to download and receive at least one video depicting a young child being sexually abused. If convicted, Ardelean faces a minimum of 5 years and up to 20 years in federal prison, plus a potential lifetime term of supervised release.
The case originated with detectives from the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, who between December 2025 and March 2026 conducted an online investigation of individuals using the internet to receive and share child sex abuse material. That investigation revealed a computer using an internet protocol address in Jacksonville was hosting child sexual abuse videos available for sharing over the internet. Detectives connected to the computer on several occasions and downloaded numerous videos depicting young children being sexually abused.
Further investigation traced the IP address to a residence where Ardelean lived. FBI agents executed the search warrant at his home, where the laptop forensic review confirmed that the computer was used to download abuse material.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims.
Ardelean is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. A trial date has not yet been set in the Middle District of Florida.