A UF student was arrested Thursday on charges of possessing and uploading child pornography to his Google account.
Gainesville Police Department officers arrested Andrew Sito, 22, after a months-long investigation. Google submitted a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Jan. 10, 2024, reporting a user had uploaded a video containing child sexual abuse material to their Google Drive a few days before, according to the arrest report.
The Google account’s name and provided date of birth matched Sito, according to the report. A sift through nearly 300 linked IP addresses used between April 17, 2023, and Jan. 9, 2024, found they were used through Gainesville networks. Several of the IP addresses belonged to UF, meaning Sito accessed them through UF’s network by logging into the WiFi with his GatorLink.
GPD investigators contacted the UF Police Department May 1, 2024, and confirmed he wasn’t enrolled during the Summer 2024 or Fall 2024 semesters but was listed as a senior.
On Feb. 10, Sito returned to Gainesville, according to the arrest report, and was confirmed by UFPD to be enrolled as a student.
GPD officers searched Sito’s apartment Thursday morning, making contact with Sito and his two roommates.
Sito told law enforcement he hadn’t used the personal email address reported by Google’s tip in a year because it was deactivated for child exploitation, according to the arrest report.
Sito reviewed a censored version of the uploaded video and told law enforcement he recognized it and believed the recorded subjects were minors, according to the report. He also told law enforcement he had more child sexual abuse material on his other devices.
GPD officers took multiple electronic devices from Sito’s apartment, and an investigation into their contents is pending, according to the report.
UFPD trespassed Sito from all UF properties for the next three years, according to UF spokesperson Cynthia Roldan.
Contact Bailey Diem at bdiem@alligator.org. Follow her on X @BaileyDiem.
Bailey Diem is the Spring 2025 Metro Editor and a second-year journalism major. She has spent past semesters reporting for the university and metro desks. In her free time, Bailey enjoys playing guitar or getting lost in a book.
