FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — A Jacksonville man was arrested Saturday by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit on 40 counts of possession and transmission of child pornography.
Amais Mabini, 25, was identified as the suspect following an investigation that began in January after a tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
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The investigation revealed Mabini was sharing child sexual abuse material on the app Kik, according to a news release from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office.
“Let this be a clear message to anyone who thinks they can hide behind a keyboard to exploit children,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said in the news release. “We will find you, arrest you, and hold you accountable.”
Detectives documented 40 instances of Mabini viewing and transmitting child sexual abuse material from his residence on Plain View Drive in Palm Coast, and that he was now living in Jacksonville.
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Mabini admitted to this during an interview with detectives at the Sheriff’s Operations Center in Bunnell, the news release said.
Mabini was charged with 40 counts of Viewing/Distribution of Child Pornography with enhancement and eight counts without enhancement. He is currently being held at the Flagler County Jail on a $480,000 bond.
The arrest was part of the efforts of the Northeast Florida Inter-Agency Child Exploitation and Persons Trafficking Task Force (INTERCEPT), which includes multiple law enforcement agencies and partners with Operation Lightshine, a nonprofit organization focused on combating child exploitation.
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