Puerto Rican man sentenced to 90 years in prison for production of child porn

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A 35-year-old man from Ponce, Puerto Rico, was sentenced Friday to 90 years in prison for possession and production of child pornography. The investigation that led to this sentence was conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force.

Agustin Rodriguez-Rodriguez pleaded guilty Dec. 9, 2011, to 108 counts of production and one count of possession of child pornography. He was sentenced Friday to 90 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Francisco Besosa.

On Aug. 9, 2011, agents from the Puerto Rico Police Department, a member of the task force, arrested Rodriguez-Rodriguez on charges of sexual abuse against a minor and immediately referred the case to HSI for further investigation.

The HSI investigation led to the Aug. 19, 2011, indictment of Rodriguez-Rodriguez. He was charged with coercing three female minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct, including the lascivious exhibition of the genital areas, for the purpose of producing still images and videos.

"HSI works closely with local law enforcement to target individuals who are engaging in crimes that exploit our children," said Angel Melendez, special agent in charge of HSI San Juan. "ICE will continue to work closely with its law enforcement and other partners in the Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force to target those who produce, transport or possess child pornography and see that they are brought to justice."

This case stands as one of the largest production of child pornography cases in the District of Puerto Rico.

In June 2011, HSI San Juan partnered with members of local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, as well as local and state government officials and community leaders, to form the Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force. The task force pools its members' resources to jointly investigate 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.

This investigation was part of Operation Predator, a nationwide HSI 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. HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE 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 (1-800-843-5678).

HSI is a founding member and the U.S. representative 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.