HSI Arrest Trainer for Transferring Obscene Materials to a Minor and Tried Receipt of Little one Exploitation Materials
JUAN, Puerto Rico – On Friday, February 10, 2023, Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) arrested an Arecibo man for violation to Title 18, United States Code, Part 2252 (a)(2), which criminalizes the tried receipt of any visible depiction that includes a minor participating in sexually specific conduct and Title 18, United States Code, Part 1470, which criminalizes the switch of obscene materials to a minor. The arrest follows an investigation by HSI, in cooperation with the Puerto Rico Division of Training and the US Lawyer’s Workplace for the District of Puerto Rico.
In line with the indictment, on or about Might 17, 2020, Jonathan Ortiz-Medina, 36, did knowingly switch obscene matter to a person who had not attained the age of sixteen and tried to obtain from a feminine minor by way of messaging companies photographs depicting the minor participating in sexually specific conduct.
“As a instructor, the defendant held a place of belief in our society – which he betrayed when he dedicated the alleged unlawful conduct,” stated W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Lawyer for the District of Puerto Rico. “We’ll proceed to work with our legislation enforcement companions to aggressively examine and prosecute individuals who exploit minors for sexual functions and use expertise to additional victimize these youngsters.”
“People in positions of belief want to know that there isn’t any place in our society to abuse that belief and taint the place of our academics. Our colleges don’t have any place for predators, our kids must really feel protected in school,” stated Appearing Particular Agent in Cost Rebecca González-Ramos. “To these considering abusing positions of public belief, we’ll proceed working with our native and federal companions and utilizing all sources out there and sturdy investigative authorities to establish you, arrest you and prosecute you.”
“The Division of Training won’t tolerate any legal act that impacts our faculty group the place an environment of concord and studying should prevail. We invite any pupil or worker to report suspicious exercise to the social-emotional crew, academics, and safety officers in every of our colleges,” stated Eliezer Ramos Parés, Puerto Rico Division of Training Secretary. “We’ll proceed to collaborate with legislation enforcement businesses in all investigations, particularly those that threaten our college students’ security.”
On Friday, Ortiz-Medina had his preliminary listening to earlier than U.S. Justice of the Peace Choose Marcos López. The defendant was transferred to the Guaynabo Metropolitan Detention Heart to await additional judicial proceedings.
If convicted, Ortiz-Medina faces a statutory minimal sentence of 5 years as much as 20 years of imprisonment adopted by a time period of supervise launch of 5 years as much as life for the tried receipt of kid pornography; and as much as 10 years imprisonment adopted by a time period of supervised launch of three years for the switch of obscene materials to a minor. A federal district courtroom decide will decide any sentence after contemplating the U.S. Sentencing Pointers and different statutory elements.
Assistant U.S. Lawyer Jenifer Y. Hernández-Vega, Chief of the Little one Exploitation and Immigration Unit is prosecuting the case.
HSI is the principal investigative arm of U.S. Division of Homeland Safety and an important U.S. asset in combatting transnational crime and threats. One in all HSI’s prime priorities is to guard the general public from crimes of victimization, and HSI’s little one exploitation investigations program is a central element of this mission. HSI is acknowledged as a world chief on this investigative self-discipline. HSI makes use of its huge authorities, worldwide footprint and powerful interagency and public-private partnerships to establish and rescue little one victims, establish and apprehend offenders, stop transnational little one sexual abuse and assist make the web a safer place for kids.
For extra details about HSI’s efforts to guard youngsters from on-line sexual abuse, go to https://www.ice.gov/subjects/iGuardians.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed harmless till confirmed responsible past an affordable doubt in a courtroom of legislation.
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