Cryptocurrency Purchases of Child Pornography Send Miami Man to Federal Prison for 12 Years
Miami, Florida – A 46-year-old Miami man who bought child pornography on the Dark Web using cryptocurrency has been sentenced to 151 months in federal prison, to be followed by 30 years of supervised release.
Adolfo Fernandez stored the child exploitation material on various electronic devices that he kept at his home, including over 2,000 pictures and 300 videos of minors being sexually abused. In addition to the purchased items, Fernandez also stored digital images that showed him in his living room, engaged in explicit sex acts with a minor.
On December 13, 2021, Fernandez pled guilty to one count of receipt of child pornography.
Juan Antonio Gonzalez, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge, HSI, Miami Field Office, announced the sentence that U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom imposed.
HSI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Hapner prosecuted it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Klco is handling asset forfeiture.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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 locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about the Project Safe Childhood initiative and for information regarding Internet safety, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 21-cr-20337.
###
Marlene Rodriguez
Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney
Public Affairs Officer
USAFLS.News@usdoj.gov