24-Year-Old Ponce Man Arrested for Child Exploitation

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Derek Orengo Delgado, a 24-year-old from Ponce, Puerto Rico, was arrested on criminal charges related to his alleged child exploitation conduct, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. Special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Orengo Delgado on May 8, 2025.

On May 7, 2025, a federal grand jury indicted Derek Orengo Delgado on charges involving the coercion and enticement of a minor, transportation of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, sexual exploitation of children, receipt of child exploitation material, and transfer of obscene material to a female minor.

According to court documents, in or about January 2025, Orengo Delgado used a cellphone, online instant messaging services, and social media to knowingly persuade, induce, entice, and coerce a 15-year-old female minor to engage in sexual activity, and to produce a visual depiction of the conduct. From January 11 to January 12, 2025, Orengo Delgado knowingly transported the female minor with the intent to engage in sexual activity, and to produce sexually explicit images of a minor.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to work with its law enforcement partners to aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone who exploit minors for sexual purposes,” said W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “Those who prey on children will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

“No child should be deceived by a person they trust,” said ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Juan Special Agent in Charge Rebecca González-Ramos. “This case underscores the importance of zero-tolerance approach toward crimes against children. Our HSI agents are relentless and will continue to work with law enforcement partners to identify and prevent child exploitation in Puerto Rico.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jenifer Hernández-Vega, Chief of the Crimes Against Children, Human Trafficking 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) coercion and enticement of a minor - a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years up to life in prison; (2) transportation of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity -- a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 10 years up to life in prison; (3) production of sexual exploitation material – 15 to 30 years in prison; (4) receipt of child exploitation material – 5 to 20 years in prison; and (5) transfer of obscene material to a minor – up to 10 years in prison.  All charges of conviction are to be followed by a term of supervised release after imprisonment of no less than 5 years up to life. A federal district court judge will determine any 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.

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