District of Puerto Rico | Three Men Charged and Arrested on Child Exploitation Charges

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Three individuals have been arrested by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) on suspicion of child exploitation.

On Thursday, August 8, agents with the Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Taskforce arrested 33-year-old Eric Jonuel Collazo-Colón of Orocovis, Puerto Rico.

On August 1, 2024, a federal grand jury indicted Collazo-Colón on four counts: (1) coercion and enticement of a minor, (2) sexual exploitation of children, (3) receipt of child exploitation material, and (4) transmission of obscene material.

According to court documents, from October 2023 through June 2024, the suspect used his computer, cell phones, and internet social media apps to persuade and entice a minor, between the ages of 14 and 15, to engage in sexual activity and sexually explicit conduct. During the same time period, Collazo-Colón produced, received, and sent child exploitation material. He also transmitted obscene material to the minor.

If convicted, the defendant faces a minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison. A federal district judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) Jenifer Y. Hernández-Vega, chief of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit, is responsible for prosecuting the case.

In another case, Jason Daniel Vargas, a 19-year-old from Manatí, was arrested on Thursday, August 8, 2024. On August 7, 2024, a federal indictment was filed against Vargas for coercion and enticement of a minor and transferring obscene material to a minor.

According to the indictment, in March 2023, the defendant knowingly used a cell phone and iPad to induce an 11-year-old girl to engage in sexual acts. Vargas also transmitted obscene material to the minor.

If found guilty, Vargas faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life in prison. A federal district judge will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

AUSA Daynelle Álvarez Lora of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit is prosecuting the case.

In a third case, Roberto Rosa Martínez, 39, of Bayamón, PR, was arrested on Thursday, August 8, 2024, for producing child pornography. According to the indictment filed on August 1, 2024, Rosa Martínez persuaded, incited, enticed, and coerced a 13-year-old minor girl to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct.

If convicted, Rosa Martínez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison. A federal district judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

AUSA Daynelle Álvarez Lora of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit is prosecuting the case.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to continuing our collaborative efforts with our partners at the state, local, and federal levels to identify these offenders and ensure they are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.

“It is important that our society understands the importance of protecting our children from predators. As we have emphasized before, predators come in all shapes and sizes, they put themselves in positions of public trust, they find the perfect time to prey. It is our responsibility to protect our children, to be vigilant, to give them the right tools so they can protect themselves,” said Rebecca González Ramos, Special Agent in Charge of HSI. “HSI’s main goal is to protect our children from those who seek to exploit their innocence or abuse their position of trust to harm them. HSI will continue to tirelessly pursue perpetrators and ensure they are brought to justice so that our children can feel safe at school, in their homes or wherever they are. We also urge the public to say something if you see something, your cooperation is essential in the fight against child exploitation on our island.”

For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit iGuardians™: Combating Child Predators and to report suspicious activity, call 787-729-6969.

For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from online sexual abuse, visit https://www.ice.gov/topics/iGuardians.

This case was filed as part of Safe Childhood Projecta nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children online, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.

An indictment is merely an accusation and all suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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