Former UNF student gets 8 years in prison for distributing child porn

Anthony Davis Stagnitta pleaded guilty in 2019

Mugshot of Anthony Stagnitta, courtesy Bradford County Sheriff's Office

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A former student at the University of North Florida was sentenced to more than eight years in federal prison for distributing child sex abuse videos over the internet, according to the Department of Justice.

Anthony Davis Stagnitta, 23, was also ordered to pay $132,415 in restitution to victims and to register as a sex offender.

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According to a criminal complaint, investigators with Homeland Security conducted an undercover operation and found someone used a messaging app to distribute two videos showing the sexual abuse of infant children. The user was traced back Stagnitta’s home, and in 2018 he was arrested.

During an interview, Stangnitta admitted he was a member of multiple group chats that discussed child pornography on the app. He said he sent videos containing child porn to other app users, and he received files containing child porn, according to the Department of Justice.

Forensic analysis of Stagnitta’s cellphone found 2,904 images depicting children being sexually abused, according to the Department of Justice.

He pled guilty to the charges in May 2019.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations and the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.