TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa police have added a string of felony sexual battery charges to the case against 71-year-old Hernan Velasquez-Rios, following a forensic investigation that uncovered a massive digital hoard of abuse material and evidence of physical assaults dating back over twenty years.
The investigation hit a breakthrough on April 1, 2026, when the Tampa Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) raided a home at 2513 W. Main St. During the search, a specialized “tech-sniffing” canine named Layla helped investigators locate hidden electronic storage devices.
Forensic analysts say they discovered roughly 90,000 files of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on those devices.
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Velasquez-Rios was initially hit with 100 counts of possession, but as detectives kept digging, they found something even more disturbing: footage of Velasquez-Rios himself sexually battering multiple children.
Police believe the abuse occurred between 2002 and 2014 and involved at least six different minors. One victim, now a 26-year-old living in Buffalo, New York, was recently identified by crime analysts. Detectives flew to New York to interview the victim, who confirmed the abuse took place between the ages of 6 and 13. The victim told investigators that Velasquez-Rios was a trusted family acquaintance at the time.
“The depravity of this individual is abhorrent,” Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw said in a statement. “He hid behind the trust of a family acquaintance to prey on children. While the scale of his evil is staggering, our resolve is stronger.”
Velasquez-Rios is currently being held at the Orient Road Jail. He now faces new charges of Sexual Battery by a person in a position of familial or custodial authority.
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Authorities are worried there may be more victims who have not yet come forward, specifically from the twelve-year window between 2002 and 2014.
They are asking anyone with information to contact the Tampa Police ICAC Unit at 813-276-3266, referencing report 26-900479. The department has also made victim advocates available to assist anyone impacted by the case.
“To any victim still carrying this burden, you are not alone,” Chief Bercaw added. “We are here to ensure this predator answers for every single life he impacted.”
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