CBP Officer Indicted And Arrested For Child Pornography

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On February 1, 2018, a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned a four-count indictment against Alfredo Maysonet-Galarza, charging child pornography related offenses, announced today Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-Homeland Security Investigations (ICE-HSI) in collaboration with the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General are in charge of the investigation.

The defendant, who is a current U.S. Customs and Border Protection Officer, is charged with advertising, receiving, distributing, and possessing child pornography. During the year 2015, Maysonet-Galarza used a well-known peer-to-peer file-sharing program to advertise for sharing certain videos and images depicting prepubescent minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct.   

The indictment alleges that Maysonet-Galarza downloaded several videos depicting several female minors under 12 years of age, engaging in sexually explicit acts with adult males. Maysonet-Galarza is also charged with knowingly possessing over 1,000 images and videos involving prepubescent minors engaging in similar sexually explicit conduct. The images and videos had been shipped or transported using a means and/or facility of interstate and foreign commerce, and were produced using materials that had been mailed, shipped and transported in and affecting interstate and foreign commerce, including by computer. 

The defendant also faces a Forfeiture Allegation that includes the forfeiture of all materials or property used, or intended to be used in the receipt, distribution, or possession of child pornography.  

“The defendant’s conduct in this case is particularly troubling due to his role as a federal law enforcement officer,” said United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. “Individuals who advertise, receive, possess, or distribute child pornography work hard to evade law enforcement and disguise what they are doing. For every tactic taken to evade law enforcement, we will adapt our strategies to find them and prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law.”

“This case demonstrates that there are serious consequences for advertising, receiving, possessing, and distributing illegal images of innocent children being sexually exploited and traumatized,” said Orlando Baez, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Juan. “Predators who victimize innocent children for selfish gratification must know that we will not rest until they are brought to justice. Words cannot describe the harm that these crimes inflict on children. Working with our state, local, and federal law enforcement partners, we will continue to investigate predators and ensure that they feel the full weight of the law.”

If found guilty, Maysonet-Galarza faces a potential sentence of no less than 15 years of imprisonment up to a maximum possible sentence of 30 years in prison. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Cristina Caraballo, under the supervision of AUSA Marshal Morgan, Chief of the Crimes Against Children and Human Trafficking Unit. Indictments contain only charges and are not evidence of guilt.  Defendants are presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

# # #