A Florida man reportedly turned his father over to the police after finding explicit images of child pornography on his phone while trying to recover his deactivated Google account.The grandfather, who was referred to as a “sick psycho pedophile,” had almost 1,000 illicit pictures of helpless children on his phone, including girls as young as five.
After Gene Follin, now 63, suffered a heart attack and had open heart surgery on December 3, 2017, friends rallied around him.
The GoFundMe’s creator continues, “In his home he is a loving father and grandfather, often sharing stories, pictures, and visits with his wonderful family.” The GoFundMe was created to provide financial support while the restaurant employee recovered from surgery.
The letter continues, “Geno is irreplaceable in the hearts of those closest to him.” He constantly rushes around trying to help those he cares about, even when it is the most difficult for him. He is loyal, loving, kind, compassionate, and trustworthy.
The campaign raised $2,325 of its $5,000 goal to help the father of three children, Tyler, Jared, and Christian, as well as three grandchildren, Zackory Wade, Rylan Andrew, and Emma Mercy.
But the impression that “those lucky enough to be in his circle” held of the man was going to change dramatically.
An account on Google that has been reported
When Follin was locked out of his Gmail account in September 2024, he turned to his 30-year-old son Jared for help. When Jared, a senior planner in Hillsborough County, Florida, tried to retrieve his father’s Google account, he found something awful.
“His son Jared Follin informed me he discovered child pornography on Gene’s cellphone after Gene needed help accessing his email because Gene was disabled for sexual explicit images of children,” the Smoking Gun document states.
The startled son allegedly found nearly 1,000 child pornographic files on his father’s phone, which Google has prohibited for keeping unlawful child images in its Google Photos folder, according to the New York Post.
The account was ultimately identified as belonging to the Kenneth City grandfather after the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Internet Crimes Against Children task force got a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Unsettling images
After confessing to “saving child pornography” after a police interview, Follin was taken into custody on January 28, 2025, for possessing child pornography.
The document states that investigators found 952 files that contained child pornography and child erotica that were uploaded to the account between March 13, 2023, and September 10, 2024.
A few of the images featured girls in the five to eight age range.
The Missouri native was released from custody after posting a $100,000 bond, according to the charging report from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Each of the 20 second degree felonies has a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.
“Psychopathic deranged pedophile”
Jared hasn’t publicly addressed his disturbing father’s wrongdoings, but his Facebook page has become a platform for public discourse.
A Facebook post with the comment, “I’m grateful for all of my family and friends,” was made on July 10, 2024. To my thirties, cheers! A number of internet users expressed their opinions regarding the father, who can be seen in several of the photos.
Having to put up with a father who is a crazy, insane pedophile is sad. Luckily, you turned his disgusting, dirty a** in. What a horrible thing to go through. “I’m praying for your family because it’s such a sad thing for you and your family to go through,” someone else continues.
Others supported them and commended the child for reporting his own father.
Even though you must have found this quite challenging, it’s possible that you saved a young girl—or perhaps many—from going through anything more significant than just having images. It may not seem like much considering the sheer number of individuals, but I can guarantee you that many people are appreciative of what you done,” a second netizen continues.
Another person remarks, “You are a good man.” I am proud of you because you made the proper choice.
Do you believe that the son’s decision to report his father was the right one? Please share your thoughts so we can hear from others before we share this article.
