Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia H. Covington has sentenced Justin Ryan Culmo, 40, of Oldsmar, to 75 years in federal prison for multiple child sexual abuse material (CSAM) offenses. The sentence follows Culmo’s guilty plea on December 5, 2024, to three counts of production of CSAM, one count of distribution, one count of possession, and one count of producing an adapted or modified depiction of a minor.
Culmo was ordered to forfeit a large volume of digital equipment for committing the crimes, including five computers or laptops, 13 cameras, 14 hard drives, three phones, various storage devices, and encrypted media.
He was arrested on September 26, 2023, and booked into the Pinellas County Jail following an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Federal agents conducted a raid on his Oldsmar residence, located at 301 Park Boulevard, based on findings linking him to a network involved in the production and distribution of CSAM on the dark web.
Investigators used facial recognition technology to tie Culmo to the online aliases “Avalanche” and “TheRealAvalanche.” One of the victims’ identities was confirmed by her parents, who believed the photos were taken between 2011 and 2014. The victim’s father remembered his work friend, Culmo, coming over while he was raking leaves in the backyard. The father entered the home and found Culmo inside the house. The encounterer found Culmo beside his daughter in the bedroom. According to the complaint, Culmo became quiet when confronted, did not respond, and left the house.
There were child sexual abuse allegations against Culmo based on Child Protective Services reports from the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. In 2014, a child being babysat by Culmo told her mother that Culmo had sexually touched her.
In another report in 2019, another child reported that Culmo touched her private parts and took a picture.
Authorities recovered highly explicit communications authored by Culmo detailing methods for concealing illegal activity. He provided instructions on encryption and advised others on avoiding law enforcement detection.
In 2017, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office became involved after Culmo was caught with a company-owned SD card hidden in his shoe. The device contained over 1,100 photos of minors outside Mann Middle School in Brandon, Florida, directly across the street from Culmo’s former residence.
During a 2023 search, agents found multiple spy cameras and 11 pairs of girls’ underwear in a locked drawer. Culmo admitted to producing and distributing CSAM, including images created as recently as September 2023.
Court records state that Culmo created CSAM over 11 years, abusing dozens of children, including infants and toddlers. He was found in possession of nearly 86,000 images, 845 videos, and approximately 8,500 AI-generated images of CSAM.
HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge John Condon stated, “His actions in creating child sexual abuse material and exploiting the innocence of children, with both real and AI-generated imagery, is an egregious violation of a child’s inherent right to safety and dignity.”
This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Abigail K. King and investigated under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative aimed at combating child exploitation.
According to a website operated by Culmo, he has lived in Oldsmar for approximately 14 years. Before that, he lived in Safety Harbor. He received his Mechanical Engineering degree from UCF and is described as an avid photographer. According to his LinkedIn page, he works as a Plant engineer at an automotive, aerospace, and medical parts manufacturer in Pinellas County.
Culmo was very vocal in his opposition to a vote by the Oldsmar City Council in 2022 that allowed developers to build a large apartment complex next to City Hall.