45-Year-Old Canóvanas Man Arrested for Child Exploitation

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On August 25, 2026, special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested David Ortiz-García, a 45-year-old male from Canóvanas, Puerto Rico, on criminal charges for child exploitation, announced Héctor Ramírez-Carbó, Acting United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.

On August 20, 2026, a federal grand jury indicted Ortiz-García on six charges of production, receipt, transportation, and possession of child exploitation material. 

According to court documents, from in or about November 2025, to July 2026, defendant Ortiz-García possessed and knowingly accessed with intent to view child pornography. Ortiz-García, using his cellular telephone and other electronic devices, which had internet capabilities, possessed images and videos of child pornography including images of toddlers, prepubescent minors or minors who had not attained 12 years of age.

From or about January 9, 2026, to on or about January 12, 2026, Ortiz-García knowingly induced, enticed, and coerced a minor, or attempted to do so, that is a 3-year-old male minor, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing child pornography. The defendant is also charged with two more counts of production of child pornography in February and April 2026, for enticing and coercing a prepubescent male minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct to produce child pornography. Ortiz-García is also facing one count of receipt and one count of transportation of child pornography.

“Those who prey on children will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Héctor Ramírez-Carbó of the District of Puerto Rico. “I thank the dedicated HSI agents and prosecutors who investigated and charged this case for their tireless efforts to protect the most vulnerable in our community.”

“Behind every child exploitation case is a child who has been harmed, and this arrest is another urgent reminder that predators do not fit one profile, and victims do not fit one gender,” said HSI San Juan Acting Special Agent in Charge Yariel Ramos. “HSI San Juan has seen a troubling pattern of adult males seeking to exploit male minors, and we will continue to call attention to that reality without minimizing the risk to any child. Our message is clear: child exploitation is not limited by stereotypes, and neither is our enforcement response. HSI San Juan will follow the evidence, identify victims, and pursue those accused of targeting children with the full weight of our investigative authorities.”

Assistant U.S. Daynelle Álvarez-Lora from the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit, is prosecuting the case. The Puerto Rico Crimes Against Children Task Force led by HSI is in charge of the investigation.

If convicted for the charges the defendant faces the following penalties: (1) production of child pornography – minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum of 30 years in prison; (2) receipt of child exploitation material – five to 20 years in prison; (2) transportation of child exploitation material – five to 20 years in prison; and (3) possession of child pornography – a maximum of 20 years of imprisonment.  All charges of conviction are to be followed by a term of supervised release after the term of imprisonment. A federal district court judge will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. 

For more information about HSI’s efforts to protect children from sexual predators, visit Know2Protect.gov. To report suspicious activities, call 787-729-6969 or send an email to IntelHSISanJuan@hsi.dhs.gov.

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.

###