U.S. Department of Justice

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Office Building (787) 754-6000 150 Carlos Chardon Avenue
Suite 526
San Juan, Puerto Rico 00918

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Request for Public Assistance  
Regarding Arrest of Child Pornography Suspect

L uis S. Fraticelli, Special Agent in Charge (SAC), San Juan Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and Pedro A. Toledo Davila, Superintendent, Police of Puerto Rico, today announce the arrest of Jose Antonio Rosario Pacheco, also known as Tito, age 57, for the production of child pornography.

On February 2, 2007, the San Juan FBI was contacted by the Police of Puerto Rico, Criminal Investigations Division, Sex Crimes Unit, after Rosario Pacheco was arrested on local charges connected to an alleged sexual assault of a female minor in Ponce, Puerto Rico. A subsequent investigation revealed that Rosario Pacheco allegedly was in contact with the minor female between December 2006 and February 2007. Additionally, Rosario Pacheco is believed to have taken various sexually explicit photographs of the female minor with the use of a cellular telephone on February 2, 2007.

On Saturday, February 10, 2007, Rosario Pacheco was taken into federal custody by Special Agents of the San Juan Division of the FBI. He has been charged with having knowingly persuaded or coerced a minor female to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct in violation of Title 18 United States Code Section 2251 (a). Rosario Pacheco also faces state charges of sexual aggression toward a minor stemming from the same incident.

On Monday, February 12, 2007, Rosario Pacheco was taken before United States Magistrate Marcos Lopez for his initial appearance. At that time, it was determined that he should be detained and remanded to the custody of the Federal Detention Center in Bayamon, Puerto Rico. His next court appearance is scheduled for February 22, 2007.

At the time of his arrest, Rosario Pacheco was residing at Urbanization San Tomas, G-47 Avenida Pricipal, Ponce, Puerto Rico, and he was employed by the Aqueduct and Sewer Authority. Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to contact the San Juan FBI 24 hours a day at telephone number 1-877-FBI-SJPR (1-877-324-7577) or 787-754-6000.

This case is a collaborative effort between local and federal law enforcement authorities in combating child sexual exploitation as part of the Project Safe Childhood initiative.

The public is reminded that an arrest is not evidence of guilt. Each defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial. The government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

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