ICE arrests PRPD officer for possession, receipt of child pornography

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A Puerto Rico Police Department (PRPD) officer was arrested Friday for receipt and possession of child pornography. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), working jointly with the Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force (PRCACTF), conducted the investigation that led to the arrest.

Claude L. Merced-Aponte, 49, was arrested without incident at his place of residence in Aguas Buenas.

Count one of the indictment alleges that on or about April 7, Merced-Aponte did knowingly possess material which contained images of minors and prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Count two alleges that sometime in 2012 the defendant received, via the Internet, similar images of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. 

Merced-Aponte is also facing a forfeiture allegation which includes various computers, cellular phones, external hard drives and memory sticks. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum possible sentence of 20 years if found guilty

Merced-Aponte had his initial hearing before U.S. Magistrate Bruce McGiverin on Friday. He was transferred to the Guaynabo Metropolitan Detention Center awaiting the outcome of his case.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Cristina Caraballo-Colon is prosecuting the case.

Identifying people who violate their positions of public trust by contributing to the exploitation of children is a top priority for HSI as our statistics show. This year, we have seen an alarming increase of 47 percent in these cases as compared to fiscal year 2014.We cannot and will not tolerate that. HSI will continue identifying, arresting and prosecuting those who attempt against the safety and security of our children regardless of who they are.”

In response to the need for an island-wide approach in the fight against the escalation of predatory crimes against children, HSI San Juan partnered with members of local, state and federal law enforcement, as well as local and state government officials and community leaders, to form the PRCACTF in June 2011.

Through PRCACTF, local, state and federal law enforcement agencies work together with local and state government agencies to effectively pool their resources to jointly investigate all crimes against children in Puerto Rico. Through the task force, law enforcement officers are encouraged to share evidence, ideas, and investigative and forensic tools to ensure the most successful prosecutions possible. As such, PRCACTF allows law enforcement to speak with one unified voice in defense of the children of Puerto Rico.

This investigation was conducted under HSI's Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 12,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,000 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI's Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.

HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.