February 26, 2010
Media Contact: Sandi Copes
Phone: (850) 245-0150
Broward County Man Arrested for Possession of Child Pornography
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced a Broward County man is in custody and will be charged with possession of child pornography. Eugene C. McNeil, 84, was arrested by law enforcement with the Attorney General’s CyberCrime Unit after investigators determined McNeil had numerous images of child pornography in his possession. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office and Margate Police Department assisted with the arrest.
During a routine undercover investigation, CyberCrime investigators discovered numerous images of child pornography and traced the images back to a computer being used by McNeil. A search warrant was executed on McNeil’s Margate home in September, and one computer was seized, along with several photos, video tapes, and 8mm films. Investigators completed a forensic analysis of the seized items to confirm images child pornography were present; some of the images were of children as young as five years old.
McNeil will be booked in the Broward County Jail and will be charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography, a third-degree felony which will be enhanced to a second-degree felony under the Cyber-Crimes Against Children Act of 2007. The agencies involved are all members of the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.