Orlando, Florida - The United
States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida and the
United States Marshals Service announced that Wilfredo Madera, a
41-year-old resident of Orlando, Florida, has pleaded guilty to
failure to register as a sex offender under the Adam Walsh Act,
which was enacted on July 27, 2006. This is the first guilty plea
under the act. Madera was arrested by investigators during Operation
FALCON III, a fugitive apprehension operation conducted by the
United States Marshals Service in October, 2006. More than 10,700
fugitives were arrested during Operation FALCON III, including more
than 1,600 unregistered sex offenders. U.S. Marshals featured Madera
as one of their “FALCON 15" most heinous fugitives arrested during
the operation. Madera faces 10
years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised
release when he is sentenced on April 25, 2007, in United States
District Court in the Middle District of Florida.
In 2005, Madera was convicted in New
York, of having sexual contact with a person under 14 years old and
was placed on probation. He was required to register as a sex
offender and keep such registration current. Last year, Madera moved
from New York to Orlando, but failed to register as a sex offender
in Florida, and did not update his registration in New York
This case is part of Project Safe
Childhood. In February 2006, Attorney General
Alberto R. Gonzales created Project Safe Childhood, a national
initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and
abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys Offices, Project Safe
Childhood uses federal, state and local resources to better locate,
apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the
internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more
information on Project Safe Childhood, please visit
www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by the
Orange County Sheriff’s Office and the United States Marshals
Service. U.S. Marshals will continue to work with the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children as they investigate cases
involving sexual predators. This case was prosecuted by Assistant
United States Attorney Cynthia A. Hawkins. |