EX-DCF ATTORNEY FACES UP TO 450 YEARS IN CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE MATERIAL CASE

• Alex Rigsby is charged with 30 counts of child porn possession and set for a jury trial
• Rigsby is a former attorney for the Department of Children and Families as well as Legal Services of North Florida
• If convicted as charged, he faces up to 450 years in prison

Once an attorney for the Department of Children and Families, a Pensacola-based lawyer is now set to stand trial on 30 counts of possessing images of child pornography.

Alex Rigsby, a former member of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association, is scheduled to begin trial proceedings on Aug. 31 when attorneys will select the panel of jurors.

Rigsby was arrested April 12, 2024, after an FBI task force officer with the Charlotte County Sheriff's Office received multiple cyber-tip reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that appeared to show Rigsby stored over 100 images of child sexual exploitation.

That led deputies to the home of Rigsby's father in Charlotte County, Florida. Once his father notified deputies that Rigsby remained on the family phone plan but did not live there, the case was transferred to the Escambia County Sheriff's Office.

An ECSO deputy requested Rigsby's cloud storage data and received over 160 videos and images of children as young as toddlers being sexually abused.

"Among the files of (child sexual abuse material) were personal images of Alex Rigsby and his live-in girlfriend," the deputy wrote in a report. "These images and other personal images were taken in the timeframe of the NCMEC cyber tip and provide strong evidence Alex Rigsby's account was in his control and not 'hacked.'"

Who is Alex Rigsby?

Rigsby is an attorney who was admitted to the Florida Bar in September 2015. From his admittance until his arrest, he was in good standing with no history of Bar-related disciplinary issues.

After his admittance into the Bar, Rigsby joined the Pensacola Department of Children and Families Children's Legal Services as a senior attorney in 2019, according to The Florida Bar News. He worked there until 2021, when Legal Services of North Florida hired him.

LSNF is a firm that provides civil legal services for low-income individuals.

Rigsby worked for LSNF until early February 2024. LSNF previously declined to disclose to the News Journal why Rigsby left his position.

He was also a member of the Escambia-Santa Rosa Bar Association, however, his profile was removed from the member directory shortly after his arrest.

What are Alex Rigsby's charges?

The Office of the State Attorney charged Rigsby with 30 counts of possessing child pornography. According to the state's charging document, Rigsby allegedly possessed 10 or more images with at least one of the images containing one or more of the following:

• A child who is younger than the age of 5
• Sadomasochistic abuse involving a child
• Sexual battery involving a child
• Sexual bestiality involving a child
• Any movie involving a child, regardless of length and regardless of whether the movie contained sound

Each count is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison. If convicted as charged, Rigsby could face up to 450 years in state prison.

Florida Supreme Court suspends Alex Rigsby's Bar license

Shortly after Rigsby's arrest in 2024, The Florida Bar confirmed to the News Journal that it had opened a disciplinary case against Rigsby under Florida Bar Rule 3-4.4, which discusses criminal misconduct of an attorney.

Jennifer Krell Davis, communications director for The Florida Bar, told the News Journal that the "Bar generally waits for there to be an adjudication of guilt before proceeding with a disciplinary case." However, if there "is evidence of the possibility of 'great public harm,' the Bar may proceed with asking the Florida Supreme Court for an emergency suspension, and if granted the attorney would be … suspended while the underlying discipline case continues to move forward."

Over a year later, in December 2025, The Florida Bar filed the emergency petition seeking to have Rigsby's Bar license suspended and to rule him ineligible to practice law in Florida. On May 8, 2026, the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of an interim suspension, giving Rigsby 30 days to close his practice and protect the interests of any existing clients before his suspension became active.

Rigsby's Bar profile lists him as suspended and not eligible to practice law in Florida.

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