Disc Jockey in Puerto Rico Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exlpoitaton of Three Minors

A former disc jockey for area high school parties pleaded guilty today in the District of Puerto Rico to producing child pornography.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Mythili Raman of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez of the District of Puerto Rico, and Special Agent in Charge Angel M. Melendez of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in San Juan made the announcement.

Eduardo Santiago-Rivera, 45, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge V élez-Riv é in the District of Puerto Rico to nine counts of sexual exploitation of children and one count of possession of child pornography.   Santiago-Rivera was charged by superseding indictment on May 13, 2013.

Santiago-Rivera was a disc jockey who met his victims at area high school parties and on various social networking sites.   Santiago-Rivera admitted that in June and July 2012, he induced, persuaded, enticed, coerced and used at least three minors, who ranged in age from 12 to 15, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of creating video images.  Santiago-Rivera used an Internet-based video chat program, “ooVoo,” to direct and coerce the minors to undress and to engage in various acts of sexually explicit conduct, including masturbation and the lascivious exhibition of their genitals.   Santiago-Rivera also recorded himself engaging in sexual acts with one of the minors.

Santiago-Rivera has been in federal custody since he was arrested on July 27, 2012.   Sentencing will be scheduled at a later date.

This case was investigated by ICE HSI.   The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Mark Angehr of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section and Amy E. Larson of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Marshal Morgan of the District of Puerto Rico.

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.