Puerto Rican man sentenced to 15 years in prison for possession and distribution of child porn

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A 58-year-old man of Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, was sentenced to 15 years in prison earlier this week for production and possession of child pornography following a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force (PRCACTF) investigation.

Ruben A. Santos-Rodriguez was arrested on Jan. 31 at his residence in Condominio El Monte, Puerto Rico for allegedly sending inappropriate messages via email and Facebook to a 13-year-old female minor.

He was charged with possession and production of child pornography after a forensic analysis of a computer that he had voluntarily surrendered to ICE HSI special agents revealed images depicting child pornography involving a minor.

"This arrest is proof of the harsh consequences awaiting those who sexually exploit innocent children," said Roberto Escobar Vargas, special agent in charge of the ICE HSI in San Juan. "HSI and our partners in PRCACTF are committed to protecting our communities from those who prey on our children and will not rest until they are brought to justice."

Attending the need for an island-wide approach to fighting the escalation of predatory crimes against children, the ICE HSI office in San Juan has partnered with members of local, state, and federal law enforcement, as well as local and state government officials and community leaders to form a new Joint Task Force known as the "Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force" (the "PRCACTF").

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

The case was also investigated under Operation Predator, an ICE 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.

ICE encourages the public to report suspected child predators by calling at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. For more information, visit www.ice.gov.