Lakeland man sentenced to 80 years for producing child pornography
TAMPA, Fla. — A Lakeland man who pleaded guilty in January to producing and transporting child pornography was sentenced to 80 years in federal prison. This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) offices in Tampa, Miami, Boston and Springfield, Massachusetts, HSI’s Cyber Crimes Center, the United States Secret Service in Miami and Las Vegas, the Miami Beach Police Department, Pittsfield Police Department in Massachusetts, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the Lakeland Police Department and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
According to court documents, between July 2012 and March 2014 Benjamin Cuadrado, 40, of Lakeland, coerced an infant and a toddler to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing multiple videos of the conduct. He then sent the videos to others over the Internet. The investigation revealed that Cuadrado had produced at least 70 videos depicting the children. A forensic review of his cellular phone found 250 videos and more than 4,000 images of child pornography including files depicting pre-pubescent children and sadomasochistic conduct.
“The sentence handed down in the case against Mr. Cuadrado brings to an end one of the most disturbing child exploitation cases in the history of our office,” said Alysa D. Erichs, special agent in charge of HSI Miami. “This also sends a message to those who take advantage of the innocence of our children, that we will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
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.
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