A 23-year-old Holliston man has pleaded guilty to a federal charge of sexually exploiting a child, admitting he coerced a minor he met on social media into traveling to Massachusetts for sexually explicit conduct and recording himself abusing her on multiple occasions. Wilson Fabian Mizhirumbay Granda entered the plea in federal court in Boston, where he now faces sentencing on one count of sexual exploitation of children.
Sources differ on the exact date of the plea. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Granda pleaded guilty on Oct. 27, while MassLive reported the plea came a day earlier, on Oct. 26. Both outlets agree that Granda admitted to one count of sexual exploitation of children, per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Federal prosecutors say Granda met the girl on social media in August and September 2023, knew she was underage, and lied about his own age to her, according to the same report from MassLive. He then coerced her into traveling to Massachusetts to engage in sexually explicit conduct, prosecutors said, and recorded himself sexually abusing her on several occasions, as detailed by the news outlet, This Week in Worcester.
A Prior Conviction and New Pending Charges
This is not Granda's first brush with the justice system over allegations involving minors. He was previously convicted in Hampshire County Superior Court of rape of a child and enticing a child under 16, according to MassLive's reporting. Accounts of his resulting sentence differ: MassLive reported he received four years in prison, while the station notes a separate account from the MetroWest Daily News put the term at four years and one day in state prison, to be followed by five years of probation.
Granda also faces a separate, still-pending case in Norfolk County, where he has been charged with rape of a child with force, rape of a child, and enticing a child younger than 16, according to the MetroWest Daily News. Those charges involve a different minor, according to the seed reporting from This Week in Worcester. Granda remains in Massachusetts state custody on an unrelated criminal case, per that same reporting.
Multi-Agency Investigation Led by the FBI
The federal case against Granda was built on an investigation led by the FBI's Boston Division, with assistance from Worcester Police and the Worcester County District Attorney's Office, according to This Week in Worcester, which cited a September announcement. More than a dozen agencies in total assisted the investigation, including police departments in Holliston, Amherst, Westminster, Medway, and Millis, as well as UMass Lowell Police and police in Scituate, Rhode Island, the outlet reported.
Sentencing Set for January, Penalties Could Be Severe
MassLive reported Granda is scheduled to be sentenced Jan. 20; This Week in Worcester separately reported that U.S. District Judge Allison D. Burroughs set that date. The charge of sexual exploitation of children carries a maximum prison sentence of 30 years, a maximum fine of $250,000, and lifetime supervised release, according to This Week in Worcester. A federal judge will ultimately decide the sentence based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors, the outlet reported.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David G. Tobin and Jessica L. Soto are prosecuting the case in the criminal division, according to This Week in Worcester. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative against child sexual exploitation launched in May 2006, the outlet noted.
