A cyber tip recently led to the arrest of a 33-year-old Marion County Utilities employee after multiple files depicting child pornography were uploaded to his Verizon cloud account.
On January 8, a cyber tip was generated from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after Verizon’s cloud storage subsidiary, Synchronoss Technologies, Inc., reported that one of their users, identified as Jordan Ryan Solero, had uploaded two files of child sexual abuse material, according to the arrest report.
The cyber tip was forwarded to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office to investigate. A corporal obtained a search warrant for the Synchronoss account, which included subscriber information, account login IP addresses, and the contents of all digital files contained in the account, according to the report.
During a search of the cloud-based account, the corporal located an additional eight files of child sexual abuse material that were different from the two files referenced in the cyber tip. The corporal noted in the report that there were also numerous self-produced photos of Solero on the account, along with photos of him with his wife and children.
On Thursday, February 8, an MCSO deputy and detective made contact with Solero at the Marion County Utilities substation on SW 34th Terrace Road in Ocala. Solero was detained and brought to the sheriff’s office for an interview.
After being read his Miranda rights, Solero stated that he performs construction duties for Marion County Utilities. He advised that he owns an Android smartphone and a laptop at his residence, according to the report.
During the post-Miranda interview, Solero admitted to viewing and downloading child sexual abuse material on his smartphone and laptop. The report stated that Solero further admitted to having files containing child pornography stored on his laptop and in “separate locations” on his phone that required either a password or fingerprint to access.
Solero gave permission for investigators to search his smartphone, and two additional files of child sexual abuse material were located, according to the report.
The report stated that Solero told investigators that he views the child sexual abuse material and masturbates to it on a “frequent basis.” The corporal noted that Solero “expressed a great deal of remorse and shame for his actions” during the interview.
Solero was placed under arrest and transported to Marion County Jail. He is being charged with 12 counts of possession of child pornography.
The report stated that a search warrant is currently being sought for Solero’s laptop. Since Solero told investigators that the laptop is the primary device he uses for downloading and viewing child sexual abuse material, the corporal noted in the report that additional criminal charges may be forthcoming.