A Palm Coast man arrested last year as part of a joint child exploitation investigation has been convicted and sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to multiple counts of possessing child sexual abuse material. The conviction was the second secured by Flagler County investigators in a single day.
The Conviction and Sentence
On March 4, Andrew Da Silva, 25, of Palm Coast, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of possession of sexual performance by a child, with each count carrying an enhancement under Florida law. Circuit Judge Dawn Nichols sentenced Da Silva to five years in a Florida Department of Corrections prison, followed by 10 years of sex offender probation. Da Silva will also be required to register as a sex offender. At the time of sentencing, he remained held at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility in Bunnell, awaiting transfer to state prison custody.
The Investigation and Arrest
Da Silva was arrested in May 2025 following a seven-month joint investigation conducted by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office Cyber Crimes and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit alongside the Northeast Florida Inter-Agency Child Exploitation and Persons Trafficking Task Force, known as NEFL INTERCEPT. Detectives executed a search warrant at Da Silva’s home, where they seized child sexual abuse material he had been sharing and storing on the messaging app Kik Messenger.
Two Convictions in One Day
Da Silva’s conviction came on the same day that Amias Mabini, a Jacksonville man, was also convicted and sentenced in a separate but similar child sexual abuse material case also investigated by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff Rick Staly addressed both convictions in a statement. “Our detectives and partners at the State Attorney’s Office secured guilty pleas and convictions for two perverts on the same day,” Staly said. “They continue to do excellent work making sure that these perverts see prison time and mandated sex offender treatments, and we will continue to go after anyone who preys on children.”
More information about the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office and its Cyber Crimes Unit can be found at www.flaglersheriff.com. Information about the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which assists in investigations involving child exploitation, is available at www.missingkids.org.
This article is based on an official press release issued by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. The charges listed reflect the counts to which Da Silva pleaded guilty. All legal proceedings are a matter of public record.
