TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the Office of Statewide Prosecution secured prison sentences totaling 79.5 years against three child predators in Lee, Glades, and Okeechobee counties. Statewide Prosecutors also won convictions against two more child predators in Lee and Collier counties, who now face decades in prison.
“I can’t think of anything more evil than the sexual abuse of a child, and trading, purchasing, and soliciting in this vile material perpetuates that abuse,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “We’re throwing the book at these predators. Our statewide prosecutors have already secured over 800 years in prison sentences for crimes against children. Predators should know that if they come after children, they will lose your freedom.”
“Florida’s children are safer today because of Attorney General Uthmeier and the men and women of FDLE,” said FDLE Commissioner Larry Keefe. “We lead the charge against child exploitation. We identify predators and build the cases that put them away. This is how it works in Florida: FDLE finds them, the Attorney General convicts them, and the Department of Corrections keeps them.”
“As State Attorney, I know firsthand the devastating effects that child exploitation has on victims, their families and our communities,” said State Attorney for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit Amira Fox. “I am proud to work hand in hand with Attorney General James Uthmeier and his office in combatting and prosecuting these despicable crimes.”
Investigators identified the defendants in two ways: by watching peer-to-peer networks for people sharing child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and by following up on CyberTips from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Search warrants turned up laptops, hard drives, and thumb drives holding hundreds and sometimes thousands of CSAM files.
Each defendant was charged with multiple counts of Possession, Control, or Intentional Viewing of Child Pornography—a second-degree felony.
Sentenced
- Robert Caesar Carrion, 43, of Cape Coral, was sentenced to 28 years in the Florida Department of Corrections. He was charged with 25 counts of possession.
- William Leroy Johnson Jr., 56, of Okeechobee, pled and was adjudicated guilty on 15 counts of possession and sentenced to 27 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.
- Wayne Adams, 62, of Okeechobee, entered an open plea of no contest to 14 counts of possession and was sentenced to 24.5 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.
Convicted and awaiting sentencing
- Eduardo Antonio Arango Ruiz, 70, of Cape Coral in Lee County, was found guilty on 20 counts of possession by a jury on Sept. 3. He faces a minimum of 35 years to life in the Florida Department of Corrections at his Nov. 2 sentencing.
- Chandler Christian Jones, 30, of Naples in Collier County, was found guilty at trial of dozens of felony counts, including possession of CSAM, soliciting a child or a person believed to be a child, and transmission of child pornography. He faces 125 years to life in the Florida Department of Corrections at his Nov. 12 sentencing.
Charged
- Jeffery Howard Oppold, 70, of Bonita Springs in Lee County, is charged with 15 counts of possession. If convicted as charged, Oppold faces up to 225 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement led the investigations, in partnership with the Cape Coral Police Department, the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, the Lee County, Glades County, Okeechobee County and Lake County sheriff’s offices, the Okeechobee Police Department, the ICAC South Florida Task Force, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, and the FBI.
Since Attorney General Uthmeier took office in February 2025, statewide prosecutors have secured over 800 years in prison sentences for crimes against children, a 320% increase.
