Man Indicted and Arrested for Child Exploitation

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging Lionel Albino Galindo, 52, of Vega Alta, PR, for child exploitation.

According to court documents, from February 2024 throughout March 19, 2024, Lionel Albino Galindo sexually exploited a 13-year-old female minor. The defendant used a cellular phone as well as internet instant messaging services, to knowingly persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a 13-year-old female minor, to engage in sexual activity, which includes the production of child pornography.

Albino Galindo knowingly transported the female minor to engage in sexual activity on several occasions and produced visual depictions of such conduct. The defendant also received child pornography from the female minor and sent obscene material to the minor.

Lionel Albino Galindo is facing one count of coercion and enticement of a minor; one count of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity; one count of sexual exploitation of children; one count for receipt of child pornography; one count for possession of child pornography; and one count of transfer of obscene material to a minor.

The defendant is scheduled for his initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Giselle López-Soler of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. If convicted for the charges of coercion and enticement and transportation of minor to engage in illicit sexual conduct, the defendant faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years up to life; for sexual exploitation of children he faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years up to 30 years; for possession of child pornography and transfer of obscene material  to a minor he faces up to 10 years; and for receipt of child pornography he faces five to 20 years in prison; all charges followed by a term of supervised release of no less than 5 years up to life. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; and Joseph González, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office made the announcement.

The FBI is investigating the case with the collaboration of the Puerto Rico Police Bureau.

Assistant US Attorney (AUSA) Emelina Agrait Barreto of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ 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 via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

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

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