GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A 36-year-old Gainesville resident was arrested Thursday after federal cyber tips and a local police raid uncovered hundreds of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) files stored on his cloud account and cellular device, law enforcement officials announced.
36-year-old Anthony Terrell Leslie was taken into custody on Thursday, August 6, 2026, following the execution of a search warrant by the Gainesville Police Department (GPD) Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit and GPD SWAT. He faces ten felony counts of Possession of Child Sexual Abuse Material.
NCMEC CyberTips Lead to SWAT Raid and Confession
The investigation was triggered after GPD received multiple CyberTips from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating that a Google account was actively storing and possessing CSAM.
GPD Detective Montague traced the account to Leslie’s residence located at 1101 NW 39th Avenue in Gainesville. Officers with the GPD ICAC Unit, with assistance from GPD SWAT, executed an operation at the address on Thursday.
When interviewed by detectives, Leslie immediately admitted his involvement, stating that he “messed up” and acknowledging that officers were present as a direct result of his actions. Leslie told investigators that his cellular phone contained CSAM and estimated that he likely possessed around 500 abuse files on his account.
Prior Oklahoma Probe Disclosed & Cloud Storage Discovery
During questioning, Leslie disclosed that he had been involved in a similar CSAM investigation in Oklahoma years prior, though law enforcement at the time could not establish perpetrator identity. GPD confirmed that a search warrant related to a CSAM probe was executed in February 2013 at an Oklahoma residence connected to Leslie.
An initial on-scene search of Leslie’s cellular phone confirmed the presence of explicit material. Investigators located nearly 800 images contained within Leslie’s cloud-based storage account. All of Leslie’s electronic devices were seized for comprehensive examination at a digital forensics laboratory.
GPD Advisory for Parents: The Gainesville Police Department issued a reminder to parents that children continue to be solicited and exploited through social networking and messaging applications. GPD encourages parents to maintain age-appropriate conversations with their children regarding online safety and the potential dangers of the internet.