Venezuelan National Charged with Production of Child Pornography

Yesterday, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, Edixon Briceno Montilla was charged in a criminal complaint with the sexual exploitation of a minor. Montilla was arrested yesterday and made his initial appearance before United States Magistrate Judge James R. Cho and was ordered detained pending trial.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Pete Gizas, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI), announced the arrest.

"As alleged, Montilla preyed on minors who he had access to, abused them for his own sexual gratification, and filmed their victimization," stated United States Attorney Nocella. "Prosecuting those who victimize children is a priority for the Department of Justice, this Office, and our law enforcement partners."

"Edixon Briceno Montilla's alleged conduct represents a level of depravity that is difficult to put into words. As charged, he targeted innocent children entrusted to his proximity, sexually abused them for his own gratification, recorded that abuse, and did so while brazenly remaining in this country unlawfully - demonstrating a callous disregard for his young victims and the safety of our entire community. HSI New York is unwavering in our commitment to protecting vulnerable members of our communities from those who would exploit them, and we will continue to aggressively pursue anyone who targets children, wherever they may try to hide," stated HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Gizas.

As set forth in court filings and statements, Montilla was identified by law enforcement as the male adult who sexually abused a minor victim in a video depicting child sexual abuse that had circulated on the dark web. Law enforcement executed a judicially-authorized search warrant at Montilla's residence in Brooklyn, New York, and recovered Montilla's cellular telephone, which had additional videos that he had filmed and that depict his sexual abuse of another minor victim.

The charge in the complaint is an allegation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted of the charge, the defendant faces a mandatary minimum of 15 years in prison and up to 30 years in prison.

If you believe you were victimized by the defendant, or know someone who was, please contact the Homeland Security Investigations Tipline at 1-800-843-5678 or HSI Know2Protect: 1-833-591-5669.

This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys' Offices, 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, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.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 prosecution is also part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

The government's case is being handled by the Office's General Crimes Section. Assistant United States Attorney Rebecca Sussman is in charge of the prosecution.

The Defendant:

EDIXON BRICENO MONTILLA
Age: 28
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 26-MJ-142 (JRC)