Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Springfield man, Bairon Ubeda, 45, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison followed by 10 years of supervised release for crimes related to child sexual exploitation and possession and receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The sentencing took place in federal court in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Ubeda was convicted by a federal jury in August 2025 on charges including one count each of possession of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, and sexual exploitation of children. He had been indicted on these charges in May 2023. At the time these offenses were committed, Ubeda was already on state pre-trial release for several other serious offenses involving aggravated rape and abuse of a child, posing or exhibiting a child in nudity, dissemination of CSAM, trafficking for sexual servitude, extortion, larceny, assault and battery, and trafficking underage individuals for sexual servitude. In 2019 he was convicted on those state charges and sentenced to a prison term of 10-12 years.
According to authorities, from at least 2015 through 2019 Ubeda used fake social media profiles claiming affiliation with an adult modeling company to trick women into providing explicit images and personal information. He then threatened to expose this material unless his victims complied with demands for sexual acts. In one case detailed by prosecutors, Ubeda coerced a woman into sexually abusing her three-year-old child and recording it as CSAM. He threatened that if she did not comply he would send the material and her information to child protective services.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley commented: “Ubeda is a vile predator who spent years exploiting fear, shame and manipulation to dominate his victims, including coercing the horrific sexual abuse of a defenseless three-year-old child. His conduct was calculated, deliberate and among the most disturbing crimes we see in federal court,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “This sentence ensures that he can never again terrorize women or children, and it reaffirms our office’s unwavering commitment to protecting the most vulnerable from those who prey on them.”
Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations New England stated: “Ubeda was the mastermind behind the calculated manipulation and coercion of women, using fear and shame to control them. He successfully manipulated one woman into sexually exploiting her own child at his direction – an unimaginable act.” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations in New England. “With a forty-year federal prison sentence imposed for his horrific crimes, our commitment to bringing peace and justice to the victims of these predators has never been stronger.”
The case involved cooperation between multiple agencies including Homeland Security Investigations New England; Hampden County Sheriff’s Office; Springfield Police Department; Hampden County District Attorney’s Office; as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Maynard and Mark Grady from the Major Crimes Unit.
The prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006—to combat child exploitation by coordinating resources across federal, state, and local levels aimed at prosecuting offenders while rescuing victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
