Hernando County Man Arrested For Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announces the arrest of Richard Joseph Edstrom (40, Hernando) on an indictment charging him with possession of child sexual abuse material. If convicted, Edstrom faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. 

According to the indictment, between March 2024 and October 2025, Edstrom possessed and accessed material that contained child sexual abuse material. 

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless, and until, proven guilty.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc. 

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office, and the Hernando County Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson.