On May 14, 2025, Efraín Pablo Cruz-González was sentenced by United States District Court Judge Silvia Carreño-Coll to 450 months in prison for child exploitation charges involving four female minors. The sentence includes an additional 15 years of supervised release. Cruz-González, a 36-year-old resident of Toa Baja, Puerto Rico, was indicted on February 15, 2024, and pleaded guilty on February 6, 2025.
Court documents revealed that between August 2019 and May 2022, Cruz-González used coercion to engage two female minors aged between seven and ten years old and another pair aged between four and seven years old in sexually explicit conduct. He recorded these acts using a cellphone.
United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico W. Stephen Muldrow commented on the case: “The defendant engaged in acts of sexual exploitation against defenseless children and produced videos of his sexual abuse for his personal gratification.” He added that their team would continue working with law enforcement partners to combat child exploitation.
Devin J. Kowalski, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI San Juan Field Office stated: “Let this sentence serve as a clear warning—there is no safe haven in Puerto Rico or the US Virgin Islands for predators who exploit children.” He praised the efforts of agents and partners involved in the case.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI, while Assistant US Attorney Emelina Agrait Barreto from the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit prosecuted it. The public is encouraged to report information about child exploitation crimes through the FBI San Juan Field Office or its internet complaint portal.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. It involves collaboration among federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders exploiting children via the internet.