PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A convicted sex offender was sentenced Nov. 12 to more than 37 years in federal prison after a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) case found he sought out, solicited, and groomed what he believed to be a 13-year-old Rhode Island girl.
Jesus Maldonado, 61, a former resident of Waterbury, Connecticut, was sentenced to 447 months of incarceration to be followed by lifetime federal supervised release for attempted enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor, and to having committed these felony offenses involving a minor while he was required to register as a sex offender. He pleaded guilty to these charges on June 27, 2023.
Prior to his arrest in this matter, Maldonado was convicted and incarcerated on three separate occasions for sexually assaulting minors, one of whom he impregnated, and another of whom he transported over state lines to sexually assault. Maldonado was also separately convicted and sentenced for failing to register as a sex offender.
“Maldonado sent explicit messages to and attempted to prey on what he believed to be a child. But instead of a child, he was speaking to a detective with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, leading to his arrest and his significant sentence today,” said HSI New England Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol. “It is a sad truth that every day real children are groomed and exploited online. HSI is working ceaselessly with our partners to keep children safe online and ensure predators like Maldonado are brought to justice.”
“This defendant’s long and sordid history reflects a repeated determination to prey on and sexually assault minor victims, inflicting lasting damage on their lives,” remarked U.S. Attorney Cunha. “That ends today. With this sentence, we have ensured that the public and future victims are safe from Mr. Maldonado’s predations for decades to come.”
According to court documents and information provided to the court, beginning in March 2019, Maldonado engaged in a series of sexually explicit online and text communications with a person known to him as “Jeni,” who he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. Despite being told early in their conversations that he was conversing with a 13-year-old, Maldonado expressed interest in making “Jeni” his wife, repeatedly engaged in graphic sexual chat, and sent sexually explicit images, all while attempting to persuade “Jeni” to meet with him to engage in sexual activity. Unbeknownst to Maldonado, the person with whom he was communicating was, in fact, a Rhode Island State Police Detective assigned to the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and a task force officer with HSI.
HSI’s investigation was led by the HSI New England Providence Resident Agent in Charge office with the Rhode Island State Police ICAC Task Force and Rhode Island State Police Computer Crimes Unit. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut and HSI New England’s New Haven Resident Agent in Charge office.
HSI is a global leader in the fight against child exploitation. Last year, HSI special agents dedicated 1.2 million case hours toward investigating child exploitation. This heinous crime harms the most vulnerable in our society: our kids. As technology evolves and more people have access to the internet, children are at a greater risk than ever. HSI’s special agents and analysts around the world are dedicated to countering this threat.
Report suspected child exploitation to the HSI Tip Line at 877-4-HSI-TIP or through the CyberTipline on the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children's website.