Westchester Man Sentenced To 19½ Years In White Plains Federal Court For Sex Trafficking Of Minors And Child Pornography Production

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced that VICTOR GONZALEZ was sentenced yesterday in White Plains federal court to 235 months in prison for sex trafficking of minors and production of child pornography.  GONZALEZ pled guilty to these charges on January 24, 2019.  United States District Judge Cathy Seibel imposed yesterday’s sentence.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “Victor Gonzalez admitted to the reprehensible crimes of trafficking underage girls for his commercial benefit and producing child pornography of one of his victims.  He will now serve over 19 years in prison, were he will not be able to harm any more children.”

FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said:  “It is our responsibility as a community to protect the vulnerable, and stop people like Mr. Gonzalez from ever harming girls again.  However, the FBI needs your help and law enforcement cannot do this on our own.  We work with dedicated detectives, community activists and charity organizations who do all they can to help these girls get away from these criminal and rebuild their lives.  We also need help from the community.  If you know of a young girl or boy in trouble, please contact the FBI at 212-384-1000.”

According to the Information and other filings in White Plains federal court:

From at least in or about 2014 to in or about June 2018, GONZALEZ engaged in the sex trafficking of three teenage girls (“Victim-1,” “Victim-2,” and “Victim-3”) for his own commercial benefit.  GONZALEZ solicited Victim-1, who was approximately 14 or 15 years old, and Victim-2, who was approximately 15 or 16 years old, for sex in exchange for money.  He met Victim-3, who was 17 years old, on an online dating website after he misrepresented himself as being in his 20’s.  After establishing a relationship with each of the victims, GONZALEZ, using online services and the telephone, posted online advertisements for commercial sex services with the minor victims and arranged for the victims to engage in those services with adult men.  He also transported the victims on numerous occasions to meet with those men in New York and Connecticut.  GONZALEZ further sexually abused the victims himself.  In addition, in or about January 2016, GONZALEZ produced a video containing child pornography of Victim-1, depicting GONZALEZ engaged in sexual activity with the victim.

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 In addition to his prison term, GONZALEZ, 41, of Millwood, New York, was sentenced to 10 years of supervised release and restitution in an amount to be determined by the Court at a later date.

Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the FBI’s Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force, the Greenburgh Police Department, and the New Castle Police Department and thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office and the White Plains Police Department for their assistance.

This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s White Plains Division.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jacqueline Kelly and Christopher Brumwell are in charge of the prosecution.