SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico –Homeland Security Investigations special agents arrested two men on criminal charges related to child exploitation conduct.
A federal grand jury indicted Alen Meléndez-Santiago on April 9, 2026, with three counts of sexual exploitation of children. According to court documents, from November 2025 to January 2026, defendant Meléndez-Santiago, 25, from Toa Baja, induced, enticed and coerced a 14-year-old female minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce child pornography. The defendant is charged with one count of production of child pornography, one count of coercion and enticement of a minor and one count of receipt of child pornography.
If convicted, the defendant faces the following penalties: a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years up to 30 years in prison for production of child exploitation material; a maximum sentence of life in prison for the coercion and enticement of a minor; and a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of five years and a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years in prison for receipt and distribution of child exploitation material. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daynelle Álvarez-Lora of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit is prosecuting the case.
In a separate case, Edwin Méndez-Pérez, a 50-year-old man from Caguas, was arrested by HSI agents for child exploitation. On April 22, 2026, a federal grand jury indicted Méndez-Pérez with three counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, sexual exploitation of children, and receipt of child exploitation material.
According to the indictment, from August 2010 through May 2025, Méndez-Pérez knowingly used electronic devices as well as internet instant messaging services to induce, entice and coerce a female minor when she was between 11 and 15 years of age to engage in sexual activity. The defendant produced and received the child exploitation material.
If convicted, Méndez-Pérez faces the following sentences: 10 years up to life in prison for the coercion and enticement of a minor; 15 to 30 years in prison for the sexual exploitation of children; and a minimum of five up to 20 years in prison for the receipt of child exploitation material. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. AUSA Emelina M. Agrait-Barreto of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit is prosecuting the case.
“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to prioritize the prosecution of those who sexually exploit children,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “I am grateful for the efforts of the investigators and prosecutors who continue to work tirelessly to investigate and prosecute those who harm children.”
“Child predators often disguise abuse as a “fun game” to lower a child’s guard – but there is nothing harmless about it. This is deliberate, calculated, predatory behavior. They exploit trust, manipulate innocence, and use every tactic available to target their victims – going so far as to pay to obtain what they want. Not on our watch. HSI remains vigilant, unwavering, and fully committed to protecting our children,” said HSI San Juan Acting Special Agent in Charge Yariel Ramos.
Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the cases.
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.
An indictment is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
