NEW: Providence Man Pleads Guilty to Child Porn Charges
Monday, February 04, 2013
A Providence may faces between 15-30 years in federal prison following a guilty plea today that he participated in the production of child pornography in the Dominican Republic and transported back into the U.S.
Juan Carlos Santiago, 35, admitted today to travelling to the Dominican Republic and engaging in sexually explicit conduct with a prepubescent male child. According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Santiago told the court he brought the images and video back to the states and also recorded video chat sessions, including sexually explicit conduct, with minors he contacted through social media.
Santiago, who admitted to possessing at least 50 similar videos on his home computer, will be sentenced in June and will likely face a long prison sentence followed by five years to a lifetime of supervised release.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTAccording to the U.S. Attorney's office, members of the RI State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted a court-authorized search of Santiago’s residence in October of last year and seized two computers, digital storage devices, a digital camera and assorted CDs and DVDs. A forensic examination of the equipment reportedly revealed numerous images of Santiago engaged in sexual activity with a prepubescent male.
Santiago was arrested on December 20, 2012, by agents from Homeland Security Investigations and members of the ICAC Task Force. He has been detained in federal custody since his arrest.
Editor's Note: This story has been revised to correct the prosecuting office to the "U.S. Attorney's".
