ICE arrests man for sex trafficking, extortion

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents arrested a San Juan man Sunday for sex trafficking and extorting a 33-year-old woman. 

HSI special agents arrested Mario Lebron-Caceres, 28, after an investigation stemming from a referral from the Puerto Rico Department of Justice revealed that he allegedly used photos from a woman he met through a dating website to extort her.

According to the criminal complaint, on or about Feb. 24, Lebron-Caceres met a 33 year-old woman online through the Internet application “Meetme.com.”  Shortly after meeting, the two switched to another Internet chat program known as “WhatsApp.” Within a matter of only a few days, Lebron-Caceres began requesting sexually explicit images from the woman. After much persuasion, she finally relented to his request and sent several nude images to him. Almost immediately thereafter, Lebron-Caceres began to threaten to upload the images to a known pornographic website highlighting Puerto Rican women and to share the images with her co-workers if she did not agree to have sex with him. The adult victim filed a complaint with the local authorities, who in turn asked for assistance from HSI.

On April 2, with the assistance of HSI special agents, the victim conducted several consensually monitored telephone calls with Lebron-Caceres, during which the defendant suggested that they meet at a motel where they could have sex in exchange for which he would purportedly delete or return to the victim the sexually explicit images she had sent him. He was met by HSI special agents and arrested without incident.

Lebron-Caceres had his initial hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce McGiverin who ordered his transfer to Guaynabo Metropolitan Detention Center.  The bail/detention hearing is set for Thursday.