Press Release
☷Foreign National Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Exploiting Children Online Illegal Reentry
Federal Bureau of Investigation ( By Press Release office)
Apr 28,2022
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Foreign National Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison for Exploiting Children Online , Illegal Reentry Miami , Florida – A 29 - year - old Mexican national living in Boca Raton and Pompano Beach , Florida was sentenced yesterday in West Palm Beach federal court to 25 years in prison for posing on social media as a nine - year - old girl named “Sophia 12901 , ” encouraging young children to produce sexual exploitation material , trading child sexual exploitation material with others online , and being in the United States illegally . In 2020 , Andres Rivera Reyes used a social media messenger application to find young girls for live video chats . During the chats , Reyes would try to convince the children to take pornographic images of themselves . A law enforcement investigation revealed that from January to May 2020 , Reyes had engaged in these interactions with dozens of girls who were between eight and 12 - years - old . The investigation also revealed that Reyes had over 5 , 000 images and videos of child sexual exploitation material in his cellular telephone and that he exchanged this material with others using social media applications . Reyes was previously removed from the United States in 2013 and was in the country illegally when he committed these crimes . On August 19 , 2021 , Reyes pled guilty to one count of attempted production of child pornography , two counts of receipt of child pornography , one count of distribution of child pornography , one count of possession of child pornography , and one count of illegal reentry after removal . In addition to his 25 - year prison sentence , Reyes will be placed on supervised release for the remainder of his life as a registered sex offender . He was also ordered to pay in excess of $160 , 000 restitution to victims . Juan Antonio Gonzalez , U . S . Attorney for the Southern District of Florida , and George L . Piro , Special Agent in Charge , FBI Miami announced the sentence imposed by U . S . District Judge Robin L . Rosenberg . FBI Miami’s West Palm Beach Office investigated this child exploitation case , with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations ( HSI ) , Miami’s West Palm Beach Office and the Lincoln Police Department of Lincoln , Nebraska . Assistant U . S . Attorney Gregory Schiller prosecuted the case . 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 the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section ( 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 . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www . flsd . uscourts . gov or at http://pacer . flsd . uscourts . gov , under case number 21 - cr - 80064 . ###
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