Special agents of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), supported by the Puerto Rico Police Bureau, arrested three men in separate child sexual exploitation cases involving residents of Canóvanas, Vega Baja and Guaynabo. The most recent arrest, made Wednesday, November 4, was Samuel Alexander Meléndez Pérez, 25, of Canóvanas, whom the federal prosecutor’s office says deliberately transported child sexual exploitation material on his cellphone, received child pornography through electronic devices between October 2024 and August 2026, and possessed images of prepubescent minors.
On Tuesday, November 3, authorities arrested Carlos Javier Rosado Rosado, 21, of Vega Baja, accused of receiving, distributing and possessing exploitation material, including images of prepubescent minors, on a phone between June and September 2026. The third case involves Rubén Cautiño Latoni, 37, of Guaynabo, arrested October 29 by HSI agents, who allegedly possessed child pornography on a cellphone between April and September 2026 and had a prior February 2020 federal conviction for the same offense.
Assistant US Attorney Elba Gorbea, of the Child Exploitation and Immigration Unit, is prosecuting all three cases. Acting US Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico Héctor Ramírez Carbó thanked agents and state and local partners and reaffirmed the commitment to protecting all minors. HSI San Juan interim special agent in charge Yariel Ramos noted the three arrests came in less than a week, with one suspect found in possession of more than 2,500 illicit images.
If convicted, Meléndez Pérez and Rosado Rosado face five to 20 years in prison, while Cautiño Latoni faces 10 to 20 years, followed by a mandatory supervised release period of five years to life and sex offender registration. A district judge will set the sentences based on federal guidelines.