Puerto Rican man sentenced for possession, transportation of child pornography
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A 31-year-old Puerto Rican man was sentenced in federal court Wednesday to 12 years in prison and 10 years of supervised release for possession and transportation of child pornography, following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).
Alex J. Rosario, of Aibonito, Puerto Rico, was arrested by HSI special agents April 20, 2011, for possession of child pornography after a forensic analysis of the material seized during a March 17, 2011, search warrant revealed the presence of images depicting child pornography. The investigation stemmed from a referral by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
"This sentence should serve to reassure the public that HSI and its partners in the Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force (PRCACTF) are paying close attention to the well-being of our children, and that we will spare no expense to take child predators off the streets," said Angel Melendez, acting special agent in charge of HSI San Juan.
In response to the need for an island-wide approach to fighting 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, law enforcement and other government agencies work together 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 share 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 also part of Operation Predator, an HSI-led initiative to protect children from sexual predators, including those who travel overseas for sex with minors, Internet child pornographers, criminal alien sex offenders and child sex traffickers. Individuals with information about suspected child predators are encouraged to call 1 866 DHS 2ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.
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