Miami Jury Convicts Argentine National for Producing and Possessing Child Sexual Abuse Material

MIAMI - On Sept. 10, a federal jury in Miami convicted Argentine national Osvaldo Daniel Fernandez, 61, of two counts of production and one count of possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Fernandez sexually abused two minor victims and recorded the abuse.

In May 2022, law enforcement opened an investigation into the sexual abuse of two minor victims. Investigators determined that Minor 1 was abused between the ages of 9 and 17, and Minor 2 between the ages of six and 15. During the investigation, Minor 1 disclosed that Fernandez had recorded the abuse.

A search warrant executed at Fernandez's residence led to the seizure of multiple cellphones and a laptop. The laptop contained over 500 sexually explicit images/videos of Minor 1 between 9 and 17 years of age and several images/videos of Minor 2 at 9 years old. Investigators also discovered more than 900 images of other pre-pubescent children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Fernandez is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 11, and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on each of the production counts and 20 years on the possession count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Fernandez is subject to deportation after he is sentenced.

U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI Miami, Field Office announced the charges.

FBI Miami investigated the case, with substantial assistance from the Miami Beach Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elena Smukler and Audrey Pence Tomanelli are prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at https://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at https://http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 24-cr-20406.