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Staff report
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Paul Edward Donikowski, 22, was arrested last week on a warrant and charged with possession of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, and transmitting an obscene image electronically.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip on November 26, 2022, from Snapchat regarding child sexual abuse material (CSAM) that was saved, distributed, or uploaded on their platform. Snapchat reportedly provided an email address, date of birth, and IP address for the account.
Investigation found that the IP address was at The Retreat at Gainesville, and the email address belonged to Paul Donikowski, with an address in Ohio. One of the login IP addresses matched with a cell phone used by Donikowski, and one was at a relative’s house in Ohio.
A search warrant issued to Snapchat for information about the account that had allegedly transmitted CSAM reportedly produced Donikowski’s phone number, the video originally reported in the tip, and four pictures that appear to be “selfies” that were sent to other users.
Snapchat also reportedly provided the contents of some chats the account had with other accounts, and these chats are included in the incident report; in one chat, Donikowski’s account saves photos to his camera roll after being told by the sender that the girl in the pictures was 16 years old. The chats show Donikowski’s account sending pictures in return for getting usernames for the girls’ Instagram accounts.
In a second chat, the other account identifies herself as 17 years old, but Donikowski’s account asks her for “body” pictures and asks her if she is a virgin.
In a third chat, the other account identifies herself as 15 years old, and Donikowski’s account asks her for a “face pic” and asks if she wants to “have some fun.”
In a fourth chat, the other account identifies herself as 13 years old, and Donikowski’s account again asks if she wants to “have some fun.”
In a fifth chat, the other account does not give a name but says she’s a virgin and has never kissed anyone; Donikowski’s account chats with her about smoking and getting high and says she’s “really cute” after she sends a picture. He says she should visit him and that they’d “have a nice smoke sesh,” then he wanted to kiss her and “do more as well.” When she said she was a virgin, Donikowski’s account wrote, “Lemme be your first.”
Investigation led to Donikowski’s Ohio driver’s license and a February 2023 traffic citation in Gainesville; the investigating Gainesville Police Department officer was able to compare the body-worn camera footage from the traffic stop with the “selfies” on the Snapchat account and determined that they were the same person, “even though Paul Donikowski’s UF photo shows him weighing less than he currently does.” Donikowski’s LinkedIn profile states that he graduated from UF in Spring 2023.
A search warrant was executed at Donikowski’s Gainesville residence on April 27, 2023; Donikowski’s post-Miranda statements are redacted in the incident report.
A search of Donikowski’s phone reportedly found evidence of the Snapchat account that was being investigated. The officer also noted that Donikowski had a previous Snapchat account that was permanently locked due to a violation of Snapchat’s Terms of Service.
Donikowski was arrested on April 9 and released on $200,000 bail.
Articles about arrests are based on reports from law enforcement agencies. The charges listed are taken from the arrest report and/or court records and are only accusations. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
