A Bradenton man who police said fled to Hungary in 2022 to avoid arrest on child exploitation charges has been returned to Florida and charged with possession of child sexual abuse material.
Bradenton police say it marks the first time in over 25 years that a Hungarian citizen was allowed to be extradited to the United States.
In total, 15 local, federal, and international law enforcement partners worked to take Csaba
Nemeth, 48, a dual U.S.-Hungarian citizen, into custody and return him to Manatee County, police said.
Because investigators said that Nemeth possessed more than 10 child sexual abuse material files, the offense is being classified as a second-degree felony.
The investigation into Nemeth began in August 2022 after the National Center for Missing &
Exploited Children received a tip that was forwarded to the Central Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The report included a file believed to contain illicit, and an associated IP address connected to Nemeth’s residence.
In September 2022, detectives obtained a search warrant for Nemeth’s home and seized
multiple electronic devices. An extensive digital forensic examination of the devices revealed more than 10 videos containing CSAM that investigators determined belonged to Nemeth, police said.
Detectives obtained an arrest warrant for Nemeth in November 2022; however, he could not be located.
The FBI Sarasota Suncoast Child Exploitation Task Force ultimately tracked Nemeth to Hungary, and a federal arrest warrant was obtained for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
On Aug. 28, FBI task force special agents escorted Nemeth back to Florida. Nemeth is being held at the Manatee County Jail on $650,000 bond.