BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – A Palm Bay man was convicted and sentenced Tuesday to more than a decade in state prison after pleading no contest to 10 counts of possession of material depicting sexual conduct by a child.
Denzel Maurice Roberts, 33, appeared before Circuit Judge Steve Henderson at the Moore Justice Center in Viera on July 14, where he withdrew his previously entered not guilty plea and entered a plea of nolo contendere to all 10 counts. The court adjudicated Roberts guilty on each count and sentenced him to 127.5 months, roughly 10 years and 7 months, in the Florida Department of Corrections, with credit for 115 days already served. The sentences on all 10 counts will run concurrently.
Judge Henderson denied a defense motion for a downward departure from the state’s sentencing guidelines. Roberts was remanded to custody in the courtroom and booked into the Brevard County Jail the same day for transport to state prison.
The Investigation
According to the arrest affidavit filed by the Palm Bay Police Department, the case began in June 2023 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) forwarded a CyberTip to law enforcement. Dropbox, Inc. had reported two video files depicting suspected child sexual abuse material that had been uploaded, viewed, or shared through a user’s account.
Detective Amanda Hollcroft of the Palm Bay Police Department’s Special Victims Unit traced the account’s IP address through a subpoena to Spectrum, which returned a service address on Wedgewood Drive NE in Palm Bay. A subsequent search warrant served on Dropbox revealed the account contained two folders holding 92 video files confirmed to depict child sexual abuse material, most involving prepubescent children.
According to the affidavit, Roberts told investigators he created the Dropbox account in 2012 and admitted in a November 2023 interview that he was the only person with control over and access to the account. Investigators said he admitted obtaining the material through Kik Messenger, transferring it to his Dropbox account, and logging back in numerous times over the course of several years to view the videos. He was arrested on November 9, 2023 and charged with 10 counts of possession of child pornography (enhanced) under Florida Statutes 827.071(5)(a) and 775.0847.
Sentencing
Before sentencing, the defense presented testimony from three witnesses, including a doctor. In addition to the prison term, Roberts was ordered to pay more than $4,500 in court costs and fees, and as a qualified offender he is required to submit DNA samples as required by law. He was advised of his right to appeal within 30 days.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant State Attorney Andrew R. Joy for the Eighteenth Judicial Circuit. Roberts was represented by the Public Defender’s Office.
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