Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Worcester man has pleaded guilty to federal charges of sexually exploiting three minors and possessing child pornography. Antonio Merced, 28, entered his plea before U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman in Boston. Sentencing is scheduled for November 21, 2025.
Merced was charged in November 2024 and remains in state custody on related offenses. According to court documents, in July 2024, Merced exposed two minor victims to pornography and sex toys. Investigators later found multiple videos produced by Merced that involved three minors creating sexually explicit content during incidents in 2023 and 2024.
Merced was arrested in September 2024 and faced several charges in Worcester District Court, including dissemination of obscene material to a minor, open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior, dissemination of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), intimidation, enticing a child under 16, and aggravated rape of a child.
The charge of sexual exploitation of a minor carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, with the possibility of lifetime supervised release and a fine up to $250,000. The possession of child pornography charge provides for up to 20 years imprisonment, potential lifetime supervised release, and the same maximum fine. Sentences are determined by federal judges based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division; and Worcester Police Chief Paul B. Saucier announced the plea today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Noto from the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting 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," according to officials involved with the prosecution. "Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims." More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
