Florida prosecutors seek death penalty for Fil-Am over alleged sex crimes

A Filipino-American in Florida may face the death penalty after being accused of committing sexual crimes involving minors, Florida prosecutors said in an indictment announcement regarding his case.

Schubert Navarroza Macarat, 41, was indicted on 47 separate felonies including 12 counts of sexual battery upon a child less than 12 years of age.

Responding to a query by GMA News, the Philippine Embassy in Washington said Thursday it has already contacted Macarat. The embassy confirmed that he is already an American citizen.

"This kind of criminal depravity demands only one response from the State. Today, I filed Notice of Intent to Seek the Death Penalty in the event the defendant is found guilty," said Bill Gladson, Fifth Judicial Circuit State Attorney in the announcement.

"We are seeking to prematurely end this defendant's life because the crimes he committed are so heinous that no other punishment is fitting.”

On the evening of March 22, 2026, Lake County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to a report of a past sexual offense.

Upon meeting with the caller, officers learned that a child had recently disclosed experiencing prolonged sexual abuse, the Office of the State of Attorney, Fifth Judicial Circuit in Florida said.

A forensic interview with the victim confirmed these allegations and uncovered key leads, enabling detectives to gather further evidence.

Investigators later seized a four-terabyte hard drive containing over 3,000 videos, at least 700 of which have been verified as child sexual abuse material, it added.

Macarat remains in custody of the Lake County Detention Facility on no-bond status.

In its correspondence with GMA News, the Philippine embassy said, "We did not receive any consular notification about the arrest of Mr. Schubert Navarozza Macarat."

"Nonetheless, we were able to contact him and have ascertained that he is in good condition... He did not provide us any details on the status of his case," the embassy said. — VDV, GMA News