A Bradenton man who fled to Hungary nearly four years ago to avoid arrest on a child exploitation charge has been returned to Florida following an international law enforcement effort involving 15 local, federal and international agencies.
Csaba Nemeth, 48, a dual U.S.-Hungarian citizen, was escorted back to Florida by FBI task force special agents on Aug. 28 and is being held at the Manatee County Jail on $650,000 bond.
Nemeth is charged with possession of child sexual abuse material, or CSAM. Because investigators determined he possessed more than 10 files containing CSAM, the offense was enhanced to a second-degree felony.
According to the Bradenton Police Department, Nemeth’s extradition is significant because it marks the first time in more than 25 years that a Hungarian citizen has been permitted to be extradited to the United States.
The investigation began in August 2022 after the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received a CyberTipline report that was forwarded to the Central Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The report included a file believed to contain CSAM and an associated IP address investigators linked to Nemeth’s Bradenton residence.
Detectives obtained a search warrant for Nemeth’s home in September 2022 and seized multiple electronic devices. A subsequent digital forensic examination uncovered more than 10 videos containing CSAM that investigators determined belonged to Nemeth.
An arrest warrant was issued in November 2022, but authorities were unable to locate him.
The FBI Sarasota Suncoast Child Exploitation Task Force later tracked Nemeth to Hungary. Authorities also obtained a federal arrest warrant for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, beginning a lengthy international effort to return him to the United States.
That effort culminated Aug. 28 when FBI task force special agents escorted Nemeth back to Florida to face the pending charge in Manatee County.
The Bradenton Police Department credited the cooperation of numerous agencies with making Nemeth’s return possible. Participating organizations included the Budapest Organized Crime Task Force; FBI Sarasota Suncoast Child Exploitation Task Force; FBI Legal Attaché Budapest; Hungarian International Criminal Cooperation Center; Hungary’s Ministry of Justice and National Bureau of Investigation; Royal Netherlands Marechaussee; U.S. Consulate General Amsterdam; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Department of Justice Office of International Affairs; U.S. Department of State; Homeland Security Investigations; HSI Vienna; and the U.S. Embassy in Budapest.
Nemeth remains in custody at the Manatee County Jail while the case proceeds through the court system. The charge against him is an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
