Two men were arrested in Puerto Rico on December 4, 2025, on federal child exploitation charges following investigations by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Taskforce.
José Antonio Maestre-Rivera, 27, of Carolina, was indicted by a federal grand jury on December 3 with multiple charges including sexual exploitation of children, coercion and enticement of a minor, transportation of a minor for criminal sexual activity, receipt of child exploitation material, and transfer of obscene material to a minor. Court documents allege that from April through October 2025, Maestre-Rivera used electronic devices and social media to persuade a 14-year-old girl to engage in sexually explicit conduct. He is also accused of producing, receiving, and transmitting child exploitation material and transporting the minor with intent to engage in sexual activity. If convicted, he faces between 15 years and life in prison.
In a separate case, Gilberto Fontanez Alvarado, 67, of Bayamón was indicted for transportation and possession of child exploitation material. According to the indictment, from August 2012 through November 2025 he knowingly possessed images depicting the sexual abuse of minors under the age of twelve. If convicted, Fontanez Alvarado faces five to twenty years in prison.
AUSA Emelina M. Agrait-Barreto is prosecuting both cases.
“We are committed to bringing child predators, including those charged in these cases, to justice and protecting our children,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “I would like to thank the federal agents, prosecutors and our state and local partners who are relentless in their efforts to identify and prosecute those who seek to exploit children.”
“These charges highlight a deeply troubling and escalating threat in child exploitation cases: predators who collect and trade images of child sexual abuse material are aggressively using social media platforms to target and groom minors,” said HSI San Juan Acting Special Agent in Charge Yariel Ramos. “In one case, the suspect deliberately initiated contact with a minor through public social media profiles, then swiftly shifted to private direct messages to facilitate their criminal acts. In the other case, our investigation uncovered disturbing evidence of a collection of illicit images demonstrating the long-term and calculated nature of this predatory behavior. These cases serve as a stark warning of the relentless danger posed by online predators. HSI remains unwavering in our commitment to identifying, arresting, and prosecuting these offenders. We urge parents, guardians, and communities to remain alert and proactive in protecting children. HSI will continue to work with our federal and local partners to ensure these criminals are brought to justice.”
The arrests were made as part of Project Safe Childhood—a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006—to coordinate federal resources with state and local agencies against online child exploitation (www.justice.gov/psc).
For more information about HSI’s efforts or how members of the public can report suspicious activity related to child exploitation or learn about protection measures against online abuse: iGuardians: Combating Child Predators and https://www.ice.gov/topics/iGuardians.
Both defendants remain presumed innocent until proven guilty.
