Religious Leader in Cayey Sentenced for Child Pornography Production

In a recent court case in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Eduardo Luis Marrero Casanova, a 53-year-old religious leader in Cayey, has been sentenced to 240 months in prison by Chief Judge Raul M. Arias Marxuach. The charges against Marrero Casanova include two counts of production of child pornography.

According to court documents, Marrero Casanova used a cell phone and internet instant messaging services to persuade, induce, and coerce two fifteen-year-old male minors into engaging in sexual activities that constitute the production of child pornography as defined in Title 18, United States Code. Additionally, Marrero Casanova attempted to engage in sexually explicit conduct with a minor for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct.

Another separate case involved Alexander Joel Rivera-Santos from Salinas, Puerto Rico, who was sentenced by Senior Judge Francisco A. Besosa to 51 months in prison and 5 years of supervised release for possession of child exploitation material, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(5)(B).

The investigation into Rivera-Santos was initiated by HSI Phoenix, which identified users in chat rooms exchanging child pornography using the Viber chat application. Several users with phone numbers from Puerto Rico were involved in the exchange. Following further investigation by HSI San Juan, it was revealed that Rivera-Santos had knowingly possessed and accessed material containing images of child pornography from May 6, 2021, to June 24, 2022.

The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico and Rebecca González Ramos, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations.

The cases were prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Daynelle Álvarez Lora and Emelina Agrait Barreto.

Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigations into both cases, highlighting the agency’s commitment to combating child exploitation and abuse.

The sentencing of Marrero Casanova and Rivera-Santos underscores the severity of crimes related to child pornography and exploitation, sending a clear message that such actions will not be tolerated.

For more information on this case and other related matters, please contact the District of Puerto Rico’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.