PENSACOLA, FLORIDA - Eladio L. Vazquez, 38, of Indio, California, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison today, followed by 10 years of supervised release, after pleading guilty on Dec. 26, 2017, to distribution of child pornography. As part of his sentence, Vazquez will also be required to register as a sex offender. The sentence was announced by Christopher P. Canova, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
Beginning in December 2016 and continuing for the next six months, a law enforcement officer using an undercover online account in Pensacola observed that an individual with multiple online identities was posting image and video files on social media platforms. Vazquez also used the dark web to engage in child pornography behavior. In June 2017, based upon investigative information, law enforcement officers in California executed a search warrant at Vazquez’s residence and located child pornography on Vazquez’s cellular devices and laptop. Forensically, law enforcement also located, within Vazquez’s cloud account, significant amounts of child pornography.
U.S. Attorney Canova said: “Child predators use the internet as a powerful tool to exploit innocent children, but together with our law enforcement partners, we will pursue those who seek to victimize the most vulnerable members of our society."
“This criminal thought he had anonymity because of his use of social media," said HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero. “We want to use this child predator as a warning to those who will prey on children - we will find you and hold you accountable for your crimes."
The case was investigated by the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations, the Pensacola Police Department, the Riverside County (California) District Attorney’s Office, and the North Florida Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney David L. Goldberg.
The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
