SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On July 21, 2026, United States District Court Judge Gina Méndez-Miró sentenced Carlos Manuel Collazo-Pérez to 188 months (15 years and 8 months) in prison, to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, for child exploitation charges. Collazo-Pérez, a 75-year-old man from Toa Baja, PR, was indicted on September 18, 2025, arrested on September 19, 2025, and pleaded guilty to Count Two of the Indictment, transportation of child pornography, on April 21, 2026.
According to court documents, from on or about March 8, 2021, through on or about August 6, 2025, defendant Carlos Collazo Pérez, using electronic devices which had internet capabilities and were manufactured outside of Puerto Rico, knowingly transported images of child pornography, as defined by Title 18, United States Code, Section 2256(8)(A), that is, sexually explicit images of minors and minors engaging in sexual acts, including images of prepubescent minors or minors who had not attained 12 years of age. On August 14, 2025, an extraction was completed on Collazo Pérez’s work laptop. Within the extraction agents found over 25,500 photos and videos of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Most of the media was downloaded from a browser that provides private web browsing to anonymize your online activity and hide your IP address while browsing.
“The exploitation of children is a serious crime that inflicts lasting harm on the most vulnerable members of our community. Each image collected and traded represents a child who was victimized, and the staggering volume of material recovered in this case reflects a level of suffering that is difficult to comprehend,” said Héctor Ramírez Carbó, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office, and our law enforcement partners remain unwavering in our commitment to protect children and to bring those who prey upon them to justice. We will continue to pursue these offenders aggressively and ensure they are held fully accountable for the damage they cause.”
“A 188-month prison sentence reflects the gravity of this case and the devastating impact of these crimes. The evidence showed that Carlos Manuel Collazo-Pérez was not just a child predator, but an active collector—amassing more than 25,000 images of child sexual abuse material. This staggering volume underscores the seriousness of his offenses and the ongoing threat posed by individuals who exploit the most vulnerable among us. HSI remains resolute in our mission to identify, investigate, and bring to justice those who commit these heinous acts. Today’s sentence is a victory for the victims and a warning to anyone who would consider engaging in such reprehensible behavior,” said HSI San Juan Acting Special Agent in Charge Yariel Ramos.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Daynelle Álvarez-Lora of the Crimes Against Children, Human Trafficking and Immigration Unit prosecuted the case. The Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force led by HSI was in charge of the investigation.
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 the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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.justice.gov/psc.
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