Jadhiel Andrés Cedeño-Gómez, a 22-year-old resident of Carolina, Puerto Rico, has been arrested on charges related to child exploitation. The arrest was announced by W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. Homeland Security Investigations special agents took Cedeño-Gómez into custody on February 12, 2026.
According to court documents, between December 2025 and February 2026, Cedeño-Gómez allegedly used a cellphone and social media platforms to persuade and coerce a seven-year-old boy into sexual activity. Authorities also found that he possessed and received child pornography material on his mobile device.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elba Gorbea from the Crimes Against Children, Human Trafficking and Immigration Unit. The investigation is led by the Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force under Homeland Security Investigations.
If convicted, Cedeño-Gómez faces several penalties: for coercion and enticement of a minor, there is a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years up to life in prison; for receipt of child exploitation material, the minimum sentence is five years with a maximum of twenty years; and for possession of such material, the maximum penalty is ten years in prison. All convictions would require supervised release ranging from at least five years up to life after imprisonment. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other legal factors.
W. Stephen Muldrow serves as United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico, leading efforts to enforce federal laws across the region. The office supports public safety through prosecution of federal crimes including civil rights violations and provides resources for reporting crimes or fraud (https://www.justice.gov/usao-pr).
Anyone with information about child exploitation or suspicious activities can contact authorities at 787-729-6969 or learn more about protective initiatives at Know2Protect.govLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative started in May 2006 by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation online. More details about this project can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
“A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law,” according to officials.
