U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation

San Juan, Puerto Rico

October 05, 2006

FEDERAL INDICTMENT AND ARREST OF A SEX OFFENDER

Early this morning, law enforcement officers arrested, without incident, Amilcar Matias-Torres, age 51, at his residence in Ponce , Puerto Rico . On October 4, 2006 , he was indicted by a federal grand jury in the U.S. District of Puerto Rico. The federal indictment alleges Matias-Torres attempted to Persuade, Induce, Entice, and Coerce a minor under the age of 16 to engage in sexual activity. If convicted on this federal violation, Matias-Torres faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten (10) years of imprisonment and a maximum of 30 years.

In addition, today, a federal search warrant was conducted. At this time, no details can be released regarding the evidentiary items seized.

Anyone with any relevant information regarding Matias-Torres is strongly encouraged to contact the FBI at (787) 754-6000.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Puerto Rico Special Investigations Bureau (NIE, initials in Spanish), the Puerto Rico Department of Justice-Interpol Division, and the Police of Puerto Rico (POPR). This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jenifer Y. Hernandez-Vega and Jose Capo Iriarte.

he public is reminded that an indictment contains only charges and is not evidence of any guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial. The U.S. government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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