SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – In three separate cases, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents, with the support of the Puerto Rico Police Department arrested three men indicted for child exploitation, announced Héctor Ramírez Carbó, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.
Today, HSI special agents arrested Samuel Alexander Meléndez Pérez, a 25-year-old man from Canóvanas, PR. According to court documents, in August 2026 Meléndez Pérez knowingly transported child exploitation material in his cellular device. From on or about October 2024 through on or about August 2026, Meléndez Pérez knowingly received child pornography by electronic devices. He was also charged with possession of child pornography, including images of prepubescent minors, in a cellular phone device.
In an unrelated case, on November 3, 2026, HSI special agents arrested Carlos Javier Rosado Rosado, 21, of Vega Baja. According to the indictment, from on or about June through September 2026, Rosado Rosado received, distributed and possessed child exploitation material, including images of prepubescent minors, in a cellular phone device.
In another separate case, on October 29, 2026, HSI special agents arrested Rubén Cautiño Latoni, a 37-year-old man from Guaynabo. According to the indictment, from in or about April 2026 to in or about September 2026, Cautiño Latoni possessed child pornography in a cellular phone device. It is further alleged that prior to committing the offense alleged in this indictment, Cautiño Latoni was convicted in February of 2020 in the U.S. District Court of Puerto Rico for possession of child pornography.
Assistant United States Attorney Elba Gorbea, from the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit, is prosecuting these cases.
“We are committed to bringing the defendants in these cases to justice and protecting every child,” said Héctor Ramírez Carbó, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “I would like to thank the agents and state and local partners who are relentless in their pursuit of child predators.”
“Within less than a week, HSI San Juan arrested three individuals on child exploitation charges, including one found with more than 2,500 illicit images and another previously arrested by HSI for the same offense. These cases underscore the serious and ongoing threat of child exploitation, which requires public awareness and strong collaboration with law enforcement. HSI remains committed to acting swiftly when offenders violate the law or the conditions of their supervision,” said Yariel Ramos, Acting Special Agent in Charge, HSI San Juan.
If convicted, defendant Samuel Alexander Meléndez Pérez faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 5 years up to 20 years; Carlos Javier Rosado Rosado faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 5 years up to 20 years; and Rubén Cautiño Latoni faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years up to 20 years. Defendants convicted of these crimes also face, after serving their term of imprisonment, an additional mandatory supervised release term of 5 years up to life and would be required to register in the Sexual Offender Registry. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The Department of Homeland Security Investigations is investigating the cases.
For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from online sexual abuse, visit https://www.ice.gov/topics/iGuardians.
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.
