Investigators said a cellphone recording and a hard drive containing thousands of videos became central evidence in the 47-count prosecution.
TAVARES, Fla. — A child’s disclosure of years of alleged sexual abuse, followed by the discovery of cellphone recordings and thousands of videos on a hard drive, led to 47 felony charges against Filipino American Schubert Navarroza Macarat, Florida authorities said.
Macarat, 41, faces 12 counts of sexual battery on a child younger than 12 and additional charges involving child sexual abuse material. The Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office has also filed notice that it intends to seek the death penalty if he is convicted of a capital offense.
The investigation began during the early evening of March 22, when Lake County sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a past sexual offense. The caller told deputies that a child had recently disclosed long-term, continuing abuse, according to prosecutors.
Authorities arranged a forensic interview, a structured process intended to allow a child to describe possible abuse without repeated or suggestive questioning. Prosecutors said the child confirmed the allegations and gave investigators information that led them to gather further evidence. The child has not been publicly identified.
State Attorney Bill Gladson later said the child had used a cellphone to document some of the alleged conduct because she believed proof would be needed. Authorities have not released those recordings or provided details that could identify the child. Prosecutors said investigators believe the alleged abuse continued for about three years, beginning when the child was 9.
Detectives also recovered a four-terabyte hard drive containing at least 3,000 videos, according to the State Attorney’s Office. Investigators had confirmed that about 700 of them contained child sexual abuse material when the indictment was announced May 27.
The term child sexual abuse material is used by law enforcement and child-protection organizations because the recordings document the exploitation of children rather than consensual activity. Authorities did not say whether the review of the remaining files had been completed or whether more charges could result from the digital examination.
Investigators also recovered physical items that matched descriptions provided during interviews, prosecutors said. Officials have not released a complete inventory of the evidence or explained which specific item supports each count. Such details are generally addressed through court filings, pretrial hearings and testimony if a case goes to trial.
A Lake County grand jury reviewed the evidence and returned an indictment charging Macarat with 47 felonies. Twelve of the counts allege sexual battery on a child younger than 12, an offense Florida classifies as a capital felony when the accused person is 18 or older.
The indictment does not establish that Macarat committed the offenses. It means the grand jury found sufficient grounds for the prosecution to proceed. Macarat is presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
Gladson said his office filed a notice of intent to seek death under Florida laws governing capital sexual battery. The 2023 sentencing law allows prosecutors to pursue death or life imprisonment in qualifying cases, although a U.S. Supreme Court decision currently bars executions for child rape when the victim was not killed.
The legal dispute over punishment is separate from the jury’s eventual consideration of guilt. Before any penalty phase could occur, prosecutors would first have to secure a conviction on a capital count. A separate proceeding would then be held to determine whether the statutory requirements for a death sentence had been met.
Macarat remained in the Lake County Detention Facility without bond when the indictment was announced. Assistant State Attorney Shannon Schlarf is prosecuting the case. Authorities have not publicly disclosed an updated trial date or said whether their examination of the seized digital files is complete.
Author note: Last updated July 21, 2026.