Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Roy B. Dalton, Jr.
has sentenced Roberto Oquendo (38, Brevard County) to 50 years in federal
prison for conspiracy to produce child pornography and production of child
pornography. The court also ordered Oquendo to forfeit two cellphones that he
had used in connection with the offense.
Oquendo had pleaded guilty on January 30, 2019.
According to the plea agreement, on September 15, 2016,
Oquendo was the subject of a traffic stop. During the traffic stop, deputies
from the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office received a tip that Oquendo possibly
had child pornography in his possession. As a result, task force agents with
the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations interviewed Oquendo. During the
interview, Oquendo admitted that, for several years, he had used a cellphone to
search for and view child pornography.
Oquendo also disclosed that while residing in Brevard County, he had
used a cellphone to take explicit photos of two female children in his custody.
Further investigation led to the seizure of several items of
computer media from a place in Brevard County where Oquendo had resided. The
computer media contained thousands of images and videos of the two young girls,
who were toddlers at the time, as well as other children engaged in sexually
explicit conduct. Oquendo’s collection of child pornography contains depictions
of infants, toddlers, and young children engaged in sexual activity, including
sadistic conduct.
In addition, Oquendo had used a social media application to
engage in live chats with a co-conspirator, Rose Beth Litzky, during which
Litzky engaged two female children in sexually explicit conduct for Oquendo’s
viewing and sexual gratification. At the time, Oquendo resided in Virginia, and
Litzky resided in Florida. Oquendo created screenshots of the visual depictions
involving the two girls.
A federal jury previously found Litzky guilty of conspiracy
to produce child pornography, production of child pornography, and possession
of child pornography. Her sentencing hearing is set for October 15, 2019.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, 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 (CEOS), 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 Project Safe
Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of
Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Brevard County
Sheriff’s Office. It is being prosecuted
by Assistant United States Attorney Ilianys Rivera Miranda.
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