In federal court in Puerto Rico, District Judge Aida Delgado Colón sentenced Ángel Javier Santos Méndez, 34, a resident of Caguas, to 260 months (21 years and eight months) in prison and 20 years of supervised release on child exploitation charges involving a minor. Court documents state that on September 22, 2025, Santos Méndez deliberately employed, used and coerced his two-year-old daughter to participate in sexually explicit acts to produce visual representations of them, recorded with his cellphone.
He was charged on October 30, 2025, arrested on November 5, 2025, and pleaded guilty on April 16, 2026. The Child Exploitation Task Force of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Puerto Rico received information from the Puerto Rico Police about the alleged actions, and the investigation led to his arrest and prosecution. Interim US Attorney for the island Héctor Ramírez Carbó said prosecuting a predator like Santos Méndez cannot undo the damage, but the sentence keeps him from causing more harm and brings justice to the victim.
Yariel Ramos, interim special agent in charge of HSI San Juan, called the abuse of his own daughter to produce child sexual abuse material an atrocious act that demands accountability.