Man Sentenced For Sex Trafficking Of Children

US Attorney's Office
San Juan
Press Release

SAN JUAN, P.R. – United States District Court Judge Francisco A. Be-
sosa sentenced José Luis Otero-Otero to 210 months (17 years and 6 mo-
nths) in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for sex traffick-
ing of children, announced Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez, United States
Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. Otero-Otero had plead guilty on
November 4, 2016.

According to the Plea Agreement filed on November of 2016, the defen-
dant sexually abused and/or engaged in illicit sexually explicit conduct
with at least four male minors. Otero-Otero knowingly recruited, enticed,
harbored, transported, provided, obtained, advertised, maintained, patro-
nized and solicited by any means two 12 year-olds, one thirteen and one
fourteen year-old male minors, knowing and in reckless disregard of the
fact that they were minors and caused them to engage in commercial sex
act.

The Government’s version of facts states that the defendant paid the male
minors between twenty and eighty dollars to engage in sexual acts. Otero-
Otero paid the victims in order for them to allow him to perform oral sex
on them and also for the minor males to penetrate Otero-Otero anally.

“Justice was done today. This sentence should serve to reassure the pu-
blic that we are paying close attention to the well-being of our children,
and that we will spare no expense to take child predators off the streets,”
said U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. “All child sexual pre-
dators will be held accountable for the unspeakable crimes they commit
and the harm they cause to their victims and their families.”

Project Safe Childhood is an initiative of the Department of Justice aim-
ed at preventing the abuse and exploitation of children by the use of digi-
tal cameras, computers and other digital and electronic media.

The criminal prosecution was handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elba
Gorbea. ICE-HSI was in charge of the investigation with the collaborati-
on of the Puerto Rico Police Department.

Pervert To Be Sent To Prison For Child Porn

US Attorney's Office
San Juan
Press Release

Thirty-Seven Year-Old Man Found Guilty Of Possession Of Child 
Pornography

SAN JUAN, P.R. – After a three-day jury trial and four hours of delibe-
ration, Joed Torres-Monge was found guilty of one count of possession
of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Rosa Emilia
Rodríguez-Vélez. United States District Court Senior Judge Juan Pérez-
Giménez presided over the trial.

According to the Indictment, from on or about March 16, 2015 through
May 6, 2015, the defendant knowingly possessed materials, which con-
tained images of child pornography, where the production of such visu-
al images involved the use of a minor engaging in sexually explicit con-
duct.

During trial, the government presented evidence that Torres-Monge do-
wnloaded numerous pictures and videos from the Internet depicting mi-
nors, in some cases infants, engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

“The conviction of Torres-Monge shows the commitment of our state
and federal law enforcement agencies to apprehend and prosecute cri-
minals whose crimes victimize children,” said United States Attorney
for the District of Puerto Rico, Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez. “The U.S.
Attorney’s Office for the District of Puerto Rico will continue to prose-
cute sexual predators in order to protect the vulnerable victims of these
crimes, our children.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ginette
Milanes. The now convicted defendant faces a maximum penalty of
twenty (20) years in prison. The sentencing is scheduled for July 21,
2017.

Puerto Rico News Digest For September 28, 2015

NEVERMIND: CARRAIZO RATIONING COULD RETURN

Users served by the Carraízo water reservoir could see  a return to 24-
hour water rationing in about 20 days, if its water levels continue to
drop at the same pace that has been seen over the last week, about nine
centimeters a day. Carraízo's level stands at 38.32 meters, about a meter
and a half away from entering Phase I rationing. Recent rains have bene-
fited the La Plata reservoir, while largely bypassing Carraízo. Water ra-
tioning for the area was only lifted about a week ago. The Carraízo reser-
voir serves about 160,000 users in the towns of Trujillo Alto and Caroli-
na, as well as parts of San Juan, Canóvanas and Gurabo. The other reser-
voir that serves the bulk of the San Juan metro area, La Plata, saw its le-
vel decrease by three centimeters overnight. La Plata users are still under
a rationing plan.

COUPLE CHARGED WITH PROSTITUTION, INCEST

From Yahoo! News:

A Puerto Rico couple has been charged with prostitution, incest and human
trafficking in a case authorities say involved their four young children. Police
said Friday that the 30-year-old suspects are accused of prostituting their 11-
year-old daughter in front of the other children who range in age from 6 to 9
years old. The couple was identified as Kenneth Martinez and Tanya Figueroa...

BAR ASSOCIATION SUES TREASURY OVER TAX

From The San Juan Daily Star:

The Puerto Rico Bar Association announced earlier this week that it has
sued the commonwealth Treasury Department to stop the imposition of a
4 percent tax on legal services tax that goes into force on Oct 1. The asso-
ciation says the new tax goes against current laws that protect the access
to Justice. La Fortaleza Chief of Staff Víctor Suárez said there is a bill
pending approval at the Legislature that would amend Law 72 (Tax Re-
form) pending approval but such changes were technical ones to avoid
double taxation...

NASAA HOLDS CONFERENCE IN SAN JUAN

From Caribbean Business:

Experts in finance and investment, securities regulation and public policy
came together for the North American Securities Administrators Associa-
tion’s (NASAA) 98th Annual Conference, themed “Regulation for the A-
ges,” Sept. 27-29 in San Juan’s Caribe Hilton Hotel. The three-day confe-
rence is co-chaired by Damaris Mendoza, director of the Securities Regu-
lation and Registration Division within the Puerto Rico Financial Instituti-
ons Commissioner’s Office (OCIF by its Spanish acronym), and Joseph
Borg, director of the Alabama Securities Commission. Featured speakers
include Arthur Levitt, the longest-serving chair of the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission (SEC), and Chris Farrell, financial commentator
and author...