Eastern District of New York | Registered sex offender sentenced to 45 years in prison for attempted sexual exploitation of minors and distribution of child pornography

Earlier today, in a federal court in BrooklynDavis Burgos-Collazo was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Pamela K. Chen to 45 years in prison for five counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, two counts of distributing child pornography, one count of obtaining access to child pornography with the intent to view it, and one count of committing a crime involving minors while a registered sex offender. As part of the sentence, the court ordered Burgos-Collazo to pay $33,000 in restitution. Burgos-Collazo was convicted by a federal jury in July 2022 after a week-long trial.

Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and Christie M. Curtis, Acting Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), made the following announcement: sentence.

“The defendant has been proven to be an extremely dangerous predator who, while a registered sex offender, coerced a 10-year-old child into performing sexual acts for him on Instagram and threatened the child when she begged him to leave her alone. And sadly, she was not the only vulnerable victim,” said U.S. Attorney Peace. “Today’s sentence accomplishes the goal of taking down this master manipulator and sextortionist. We are committed to protecting our children from those who use social media as a weapon to sexually exploit and harm them.”

As detailed in the government’s sentencing memorandum and related court proceedings, Burgos-Collazo used at least 26 Instagram accounts in 2020 to attempt to sexually exploit children as young as nine. The defendant enticed victims by posing as a model scout and using accounts with names such as “future models” and “preteen beauty pics.” After the defendant coerced a 10-year-old victim into performing sex acts for him live on Instagram and she begged him to leave her alone, he threatened to post a nude photo of her online so her friends could see if she refused to provide him with additional sexually explicit material. The FBI found more than 100 photos and videos of child pornography on the defendant’s phone. Burgos-Collazo committed the crimes while he was a registered sex offender. In March 2006, he was convicted of sexually abusing and attempting to sexually abuse multiple minors, all under the age of 11 and one as young as 7.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ offices, 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 https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The government’s case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Rights Division. Assistant United States Attorney Lawyers Rachel Shanies and John O. Enright are responsible for the prosecution, with the assistance of paralegal specialist Anna November.

The Defendant:

DAVIS BURGOS-COLLAZO
Age: 45
Queens, New York

EDNY File Number: 20-CR-492 (PKC)