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Press Release

Queens Man Charged with Child Exploitation, Enticement of Minors and Firearm Possession as a Felon

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York

Angel Almeida will be arraigned this afternoon at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn on a superseding indictment charging him with the sexual exploitation and attempted exploitation of a minor, coercion and enticement and attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, possession of child pornography, and possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon.  Almeida was arrested in November 2021 on a complaint charging him with being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.  He was indicted in December 2021 and has been detained pending trial.  Today’s arraignment will be held before United States District Judge Rachel P. Kovner.  

Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), announced the superseding indictment.

“The defendant’s alleged exploitation of minors has been extremely harmful mentally, emotionally and physically to his victims,” stated United States Attorney Peace.  “His possession of a firearm despite a prior felony conviction, combined with his crimes against minors, reflect Almeida’s dangerousness and lack of respect for the law.  Protecting the community from predators like the defendant will always be a priority of this Office.  Additionally, I urge parents and caregivers to have conversations with their children about the dangers of communicating online with strangers and individuals who seek to exploit them.” 

“As alleged, Almeida posed multiple threats to our community, not only as a felon in possession of a firearm, but also through targeting children as victims of sexual abuse.  Today’s indictment serves as a reminder the FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively pursue and hold accountable anyone willing to exploit some of the most vulnerable members of our society.  We ask anyone who may have been victimized by Almeida to contact us at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov,” stated FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Driscoll.

As set forth in court filings, in September 2021 and October 2021, the FBI received tips regarding an individual named Angel Almeida possessing firearms and posting sexually explicit images of children online.  The tipster identified social media profiles used by Almeida, including a Facebook account with the profile name “Sargent Grey” (the “Sargent Account”).  A review of the Sargent Account, as well as Instagram accounts used by Almeida, revealed photos of Almeida holding what appeared to be firearms.  On November 23, 2021, members of law enforcement executed a search warrant at Almeida’s residence and recovered a 9 mm Taurus handgun that appeared to be the same firearm that the defendant had posed with.  Almeida has a 2019 felony conviction in Florida for burglary.   As a result, in December 2021, Almeida was charged in an indictment with being a felon in possession of a firearm.

In addition, between July 2021 and December 2021, Almeida enticed a minor, Jane Doe-1, to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing videos.  Between February 2020 and November 2021, Almeida also enticed another minor, Jane Doe-2, to engage in sexual contact, a violation of the Mann Act.  In addition to the enticement and coercion charges, Almeida is also charged with possession of child pornography recovered from multiple cell phones.  

The government’s investigation is ongoing.  Anyone with information about sexual exploitation by Almeida is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at tips.fbi.gov

The charges in the superseding indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

If convicted of the charges, Almeida faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years’ imprisonment and up to life in prison.

The government’s case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Chand Edwards-Balfour. 

The Defendant:

ANGEL ALMEIDA
Age:  22
Queens, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No. 21-CR-613 (RPK)

Contact

John Marzulli
Danielle Blustein Hass
United States Attorney’s Office
(718) 254-6323

Updated February 1, 2023

Attachment
Indictment [PDF, ]
Topics
Project Safe Childhood
Firearms Offenses