A man from Clinton, Maryland has been sentenced to more than 27 years in federal prison for crimes involving the production and possession of child sexual abuse material. Juan Carlos Puente, age 48, received his sentence from U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis and will also serve 10 years of supervised release after his prison term. Under the terms of his plea agreement, Puente is required to register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction where he lives, works, or studies.
The sentencing was announced by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division; and Jimmy Paul, Special Agent in Charge at the FBI Baltimore Field Office.
According to court documents, between October 1, 2021 and April 22, 2022, Puente used Facebook messages to entice a minor victim living in the Dominican Republic to perform sexual acts on herself and send him videos in exchange for money. The communications included instances where Puente sent money transfer identification numbers to the victim and indicated that he had sent her funds multiple times.
Law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at Puente’s home in Clinton on January 9, 2024. During this operation, authorities seized electronic devices that were later found to contain images depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 designed to address child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies. More details about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
U.S. Attorney Hayes recognized contributions from both domestic and international law enforcement agencies including FBI Baltimore, FBI Santo Domingo, and Dominican National Police during the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan S. McKoy and Trial Attorney Jessica L. Urban prosecuted the case.
Information regarding resources available through the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office can be accessed at https://www.justice.gov/usao-md or https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
