UCF Student Faces 20 Charges in Child Sexual Abuse Material Case

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced charges Tuesday against a 21-year-old University of Central Florida student accused of possessing and transmitting child sexual abuse material — including images and videos depicting infants — and soliciting minors for sex acts through a mobile messaging application.

Joshua Smith faces 18 counts of possession of child pornography, one count of transmission of child pornography, and one count of solicitation of a child for unlawful sexual conduct via a computer device. If convicted on all counts, Smith faces a maximum sentence of 280 years in state prison, according to a news release from the Office of the Attorney General.

The case began when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alerted the UCF Police Department that Smith was soliciting and downloading child sexual abuse material through the Kik instant messaging application. Investigators obtained warrants for multiple Kik accounts linked to Smith, extracted forensic evidence from his cellphone, and recovered illegal files across all accounts. Communications on those accounts indicated Smith was also attempting to arrange sex acts with minors, the Attorney General's office said.

"The possession, sale, and trade of child sexual abuse material is vile," Uthmeier said in the release. "These are not victimless crimes, and our prosecutors are cracking down on this abhorrent behavior by seeking the strongest sentences allowed under Florida law."

The prosecution comes amid a broader state enforcement push bolstered by HB 1159, signed this year by Gov. Ron DeSantis. The law raises mandatory minimum sentences for offenders who possess child sexual abuse material involving children under 12. A first-degree felony conviction under the new law carries a 15-year mandatory minimum; a second-degree felony carries a five-year mandatory minimum.

Senior Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Lauryn Day will try the case in the 9th Judicial Circuit Court in Central Florida. No trial date has been announced.

Local Impact: The Treasure Coast falls within the jurisdiction of Florida's statewide prosecution infrastructure that Uthmeier has deployed in this case. Parents and school safety officials in Martin, St. Lucie, and Indian River counties have been advised by state and local law enforcement agencies in recent years that Kik and similar peer-to-peer messaging platforms have been used in child exploitation investigations statewide. Residents with tips on child exploitation activity can contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children's CyberTipline at 1-800-THE-LOST.

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