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April 23, 2015San Juan, PR, United StatesChild Exploitation

Former Luquillo teacher sentenced to 10 years for sexual enticement

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A 55-year-old man was sentenced Thursday to 10 years in prison, followed by 15 years of supervised released, for attempting to sexually entice a minor. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force (PRCACTF) conducted the investigation leading to the 10-year sentence.

On May 9, 2013, Orlando Peña-Lopez, of Fajardo, was arrested after an HSI investigation revealed that he allegedly attempted to entice one of his sixth grade students.

The HSI investigation stemmed from a referral from the victim’s mother upon reading some of the Facebook chats between her daughter and the teacher. As part of the investigation, HSI agents assigned to the child exploitation investigations unit posed as the minor during Facebook chats with Peña-Lopez revealing sexually suggestive conversations.

During one of the conversations, Peña-Lopez told the minor he would lend his tablet or mobile phone so that she could take nude pictures of herself for him. He was arrested by HSI special agents when trying to deliver the tablet to the victim at her house.

"Predators who victimize innocent children for selfish gratification must know that we will not rest until they are brought to justice," said Angel M. Melendez, special agent in charge of HSI San Juan. "Words cannot describe the harm that these crimes inflict on children. HSI will continue identifying and arresting those who present a threat to our community. Those criminals in Puerto Rico involved in these despicable crimes should be on notice because we will find you and bring you to justice."

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 10,000 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 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

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. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196. 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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