A Deltona man, Juan Santiago, aged 36, has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing child sexual abuse material. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Wendy Berger, totals 57 months following Santiago’s admission of guilt on December 19, 2024, as reported by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.
Investigations into Santiago’s activities revealed the persistent purchase of illicit material over the Telegram messaging application between August and December 2022. Santiago’s phone was found to contain over 80 files of offensive content, including images that depicted toddlers and infants, in addition to prepubescent children.
The case was part of the nationwide initiative Project Safe Childhood, established in May 2006 by the Department of Justice with the mission to combat the escalating issue of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Homeland Security Investigations took the lead in this investigation, while Assistant United States Attorney Diane Hu was the prosecuting force.
