Jay Clayton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York | Department of Justice
A Bronx man, Daniel Batista, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for enticing a minor and possessing child pornography. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman. Batista had previously pleaded guilty on July 9, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sarah L. Cave.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton stated, “Daniel Batista paid a mother to create child pornography of her own daughter. He then used that child pornography both to gratify himself and to try to convince other parents to do the same. Today, the victims, families, and all New Yorkers get justice. Batista’s sentence reflects the seriousness of his crimes and our commitment to combat child sexual exploitation.”
Court documents revealed that in February 2024, while on probation after pleading guilty under New York law for forcibly touching a 14-year-old girl on an MTA bus, probation officers found over a dozen deleted videos and images of child pornography on Batista’s cellphone. Some images depicted a specific prepubescent victim referred to as Minor Victim-1.
Investigators determined that in January and February 2024, Batista paid more than $1,000 to Minor Victim-1's mother for producing and sending him child pornography involving her daughter. Voice messages indicated that Batista communicated directly with Minor Victim-1 and encouraged her to make explicit videos for him. He also sent two images depicting Minor Victim-1 to another parent in an attempt to persuade them to produce similar material involving their own children.
In addition to the prison term, Batista, age 57 and a citizen of the Dominican Republic, received a sentence of 10 years supervised release.
Jay Clayton commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation for its investigative work.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Rosenberg from the General Crimes Unit.
