A federal grand jury in Puerto Rico has indicted Leonardo Román Domenech, a 39-year-old resident of Aguadilla, on charges of child exploitation. Román Domenech was arrested by FBI special agents following the indictment.
The indictment alleges that between July 2021 and October 2021, Román Domenech used a cellphone to create images of a 15-year-old female minor involved in sexually explicit conduct. Additionally, from July 2021 through August 2024, he allegedly possessed child pornography.
The charges against Román Domenech include one count of sexual exploitation of children, one count of transportation of child exploitation material, and one count of possession of child exploitation material.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Héctor Ramos Vega of the District of Puerto Rico oversaw Román Domenech's initial court appearance. A detention/bail hearing is planned for Friday, April 11, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. If convicted of sexual exploitation of children, Román Domenech could face a prison sentence ranging from 15 to 30 years. For transportation of child exploitation material, the sentence could be between 5 and 20 years, while possession of child exploitation material could result in up to 10 years in prison, followed by a supervised release term of no less than 5 years up to life. The final sentence will be determined by a federal district court judge, who will consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The announcement came from U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico and Devin J. Kowalski, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office. The FBI is conducting the investigation, with Assistant US Attorney Emelina Agrait Barreto of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit prosecuting the case.
The FBI encourages anyone with information regarding this case or other federal crimes to contact the FBI San Juan Field Office at 787-987-6500 or submit tips through their online portal at Tips.FBI.gov.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide effort to tackle child sexual exploitation and abuse initiated by the Department of Justice in May 2006. For further details, visit www.justice.gov/psc.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.