FLORIDA (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — Florida’s top law enforcement office is highlighting a set of new and ongoing criminal cases it says are aimed at sexual predators, child exploitation suspects, and a Hillsborough County man facing a sweeping stack of charges that include counts eligible for the death penalty under Florida law.
In an announcement issued out of Tampa, Attorney General James Uthmeier pointed to four separate developments: a human trafficking and racketeering conviction for a Hillsborough County man; two arrests in separate counties for possession of child sexual abuse material; and an additional felony charge filed against Nathan Holmberg in what prosecutors describe as an expanding, multi-county capital sex crimes investigation.
For residents in Boca Raton and across Palm Beach County, none of the named cases in the announcement are local. But the message matters locally because the same statewide prosecution system and interagency task force model can be used anywhere in Florida when investigations cross jurisdictions, involve cyber tips, or require coordinated prosecution beyond a single county.
Uthmeier said the work involved federal investigators with Homeland Security Investigations Tampa, the St. Petersburg Police Department, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Office of Statewide Prosecution. He framed the cases as part of a push to keep offenders “off the streets” and to bring what he called “serious consequences” for criminal conduct targeting children.
FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said protecting Florida’s youth remains a top priority and credited partner agencies for prioritizing investigations intended to keep “dangerous individuals” away from communities. Michael Calvo, speaking for HSI Tampa, said the conviction described in the announcement reflects an effort to dismantle criminal organizations that exploit vulnerable people for profit. Anthony Holloway said public safety depends on agencies sharing information and working cases together to protect victims and strengthen prosecutions.
Human trafficking conviction
The announcement says a jury convicted Marquett James, 50, of Hillsborough County, in November 2025 on four felony charges: two counts of human trafficking, one count of racketeering, and one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering.
Investigators tied the case to a cyber tip submitted to the National Human Trafficking Hotline in May 2021, according to the announcement. Prosecutors say the investigation found James targeted young women over several years, starting with romantic relationships and later coercing them into commercial sex acts. The announcement describes allegations that James seized profits, used threats and coercion to maintain control, and subjected victims to physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. In one case, prosecutors say he threatened to release pornographic material he produced of a victim.
The state says investigators estimate James profited in the hundreds of thousands of dollars from each victim and that one victim became homeless as a result of the abuse described in the case.
The announcement lists sentencing as Friday, Feb. 6, 2025, and says James faces up to 120 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.
Child sexual abuse material arrests
In Pinellas County, the state says Lucas Jose Herraiz, 42, was arrested Jan. 28, 2025, by the St. Petersburg Police Department after a cyber tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. The tip indicated a Dropbox account was uploading child pornography, according to the announcement.
Prosecutors say investigators used subpoenas and search warrants to trace IP addresses to Herraiz’s home and business, and recovered 18 “extremely graphic” videos depicting young children engaged in sex acts. The state says he is charged with 18 counts of possession of child pornography.
The announcement describes Herraiz as a French national living in the United States on an E-2 visa, and says he will be deported upon conviction and after any prison sentence.
In Citrus County, the state says Michael Younce, 33, was arrested Jan. 27, 2025, by FDLE after a covert investigation targeting people who download and share child pornography. The state says investigators traced illegal activity to his personal device and found nine child pornography videos during a search warrant. He is charged with nine counts of possession of child pornography. The announcement says additional searches of two computers are ongoing and more charges are expected.
New charge in capital sex crimes investigation
The Office of Statewide Prosecution also filed an additional felony charge — lewd and lascivious molestation on a child under 12 — against Nathan Holmberg, the announcement says.
The state says that in November 2025, State Attorney Bill Gladson secured a grand jury indictment in Hernando County charging Holmberg with 25 felony counts, including seven counts of capital sexual battery on a child under 12, making him eligible for the death penalty under Florida law.
The announcement says in January 2026, the Office of Statewide Prosecution filed 47 additional felony charges, including 39 counts of use of a child in a sexual performance, seven counts of lewd and lascivious molestation on a child under 12, and one count of video voyeurism. With the newest filing in Hillsborough County, the announcement says Holmberg now faces 14 life sentences, seven death sentences, and up to 2,355 years in prison, with more charges expected.
The state says a special task force under the Office of Statewide Prosecution is investigating allegations in the Holmberg case, with investigators and prosecutors from the Hernando County Sheriff's Office, the State Attorney’s Office for the Fifth Judicial Circuit, the Office of Statewide Prosecution, and the Florida Highway Patrol.
