A former Army lieutenant colonel pleaded guilty in federal district court in Florida to possession of child pornography.
At the time of the crimes, Edgar Ali Cerda, 49, of Cooper City, Florida, was employed with the United States Army.
On March 10, 2021, law enforcement officers executed a residential search warrant at Cerda’s home. An examination of Cerda’s electronic devices revealed multiple images and videos depicting sexual exploitation of children under 12 years of age, with one victim as young as four years old.
Read: FBI: Texas Man Gets 5 Years For Attempting To Send 13-Year-Old Child Obscene Material
Forensic evidence also revealed that Cerda shared some of the images within a group chat. Law enforcement officers arrested Cerda, who was home at the time.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 28, 2024, before U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith. Cerda faces up to 20 years in federal prison and up to a lifetime of supervised release.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of FBI, Miami Field Office, and Sheriff Gregory Tony of the Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) announced the guilty plea.
FBI Miami and BSO investigated the case with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Fort Lauderdale Police Department (FLPD), and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ajay J. Alexander is prosecuting the case.
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