Virginia Beach Man Sentenced to 60 Years for Producing Child Pornography
Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, made the announcement after Cardenales was sentenced by United States District Arenda L. Wright Allen. Cardenales previously pleaded guilty to the charges on Feb. 29, 2012.
According to court documents, in October 2011, the Virginia Beach Police Department (VBPD) began an investigation of Cardenales after being contacted by Child Protective Services. The investigation revealed that, in 2010, Cardenales produced child pornography involving two different special needs minors, ages 13 and 15, respectively. Cardenales had also been sexually abusing the minors over a period of years.
This case was investigated by the Virginia Beach Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney Elizabeth M. Yusi prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s 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.projectsafechildhood.gov.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.justice.gov/usao/vae. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on https://pcl.uscourts.gov.
