John De Angelis of Charlotte County has been sentenced to 20 years in prison and 10 years of probation after being adjudicated guilty on 10 counts involving child sexual abuse material. In a separate stalking case, he received a concurrent sentence of approximately 210 months for stalking and illegal use of a tracking device. Both cases were prosecuted by the Office of the State Attorney for the 20th Judicial Circuit, with Assistant State Attorney Tracy Detzel handling the matter.
The child abuse material investigation began in 2024 after a cyber tip from Microsoft Bing. Following up on that tip, investigators located 153 images on De Angelis’s phone and additional material on his Xbox. The Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office worked the case alongside an FBI task force. The stalking case, which surfaced in 2025, involved an AirTag placed on a woman’s vehicle, with De Angelis reportedly appearing at locations where she was.
De Angelis entered an open plea, meaning he pleaded without a negotiated sentencing agreement and left his punishment in the judge’s hands. He is now a registered sex offender. The case underscores how reports from technology companies can trigger local investigations that end in serious prison time. What do you think about how cyber tips are handled? Share your thoughts with us.
