A New York man has been charged with child exploitation, enticement of minors and firearm possession as a felon.
Angel Almeida, 22, of Queens, N.Y., was arraigned on a superseding indictment charging him with sexual exploitation and attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, coercion and enticement and attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, possession of child pornography and possession of a firearm and ammunition while a felon, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
“The defendant’s alleged exploitation of minors has been extremely harmful mentally, emotionally and physically to his victims," U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Breon Peace said in the release. "His possession of a firearm despite a prior felony conviction, combined with his crimes against minors, reflect Almeida’s dangerousness and lack of respect for the law."
The FBI received a tip Almeida was in possession of firearms and posted sexually explicit pictures of children online in September and October of 2021, after an informant located Almeida's social media accounts, including one on Facebook with the username Sargent Grey. During a review of Almeida's Instagram profiles and the Sargent Grey account, images were found of the man holding guns, the release reported.
Police carried out a search warrant at Almeida's home Nov. 23, 2021, and found a 9 mm Taurus handgun that appeared to be the same one found in the images online. Almeida had been found guilty of burglary in Florida in 2019, the release added, making it illegal for him to possess a firearm.
"Protecting the community from predators like the defendant will always be a priority of this office," Peace said in the release. "Additionally, I urge parents and caregivers to have conversations with their children about the dangers of communicating online with strangers and individuals who seek to exploit them.”
Almeida has been in the custody of authorities since November 2021, after a complaint was filed alleging he had unlawful possession of a handgun since he is a felon. He has been held in custody pending his trial since his indictment in December 2021, the release reported. Judge Rachel P. Kovner of the U.S. District Court of Eastern New York presided over the arraignment.
“As alleged, Almeida posed multiple threats to our community, not only as a felon in possession of a firearm, but also through targeting children as victims of sexual abuse," Assistant Director-in-Charge of the FBI's New York Field Office Michael J. Driscoll said in the release. "Today’s indictment serves as a reminder the FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively pursue and hold accountable anyone willing to exploit some of the most vulnerable members of our society. We ask anyone who may have been victimized by Almeida to contact us at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov.”
