ST. CROIX MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO SEXUALLY COERCING A MINOR AND POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

St. Croix, VI - United States Attorney Delia L. Smith announced today that Juan Bermudez, 66, of St. Croix, pleaded guilty before Magistrate Judge Emile A. Henderson, III, to Coercion and Enticement and Possession of Child Pornography. On his conviction, Bermudez faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years and a maximum of life imprisonment. A federal judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

“This case is a painful reminder of the inherent dangers the children of our Territory face every day. We must all work together as a community to report individuals committing sexual abuse. The Department of Justice remains steadfast in its commitment to investigate and pursue justice for those who misuse their positions of trust to sexually abuse our children”, United States Attorney Smith said.

According to documents filed in court, on May 1, 2023, Bermudez engaged in sexual intercourse with a minor victim who was over the age of 13, but under the age of 18 years. Bermudez filmed the sexual act on his cell phone. A search warrant executed on Bermudez’s cell phone revealed multiple images of child sexual abuse material of the minor victim. Court documents further revealed text messages between Bermudez and the minor victim wherein the minor victim asked for help to complete a task and Bermudez responded by asking when he was going to get the “Cookie”. Bermudez further declared that if he assisted the minor victim with completing the task, he “want some Cookie” for two days. When the minor victim pleaded for help from Bermudez, he made the minor victim promise that she would give him her “Cookie.” Bermudez admitted that when he used the term “Cookie”, he was referring to the minor victim’s vagina.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Virgin Islands Police Department and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Rhonda Williams-Henry and Everard Potter. 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 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, 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 http://www.justice.gov/psc. Homeland Security Investigations encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at (800) 981-3030 or by calling (787) 729-6969.