WASHINGTON - Rodrigo M. Omabtang, 45, of Springfield, Virginia, plead guilty today to a four-count indictment charging him with production, transportation, attempted receipt, and possession of child pornography.  Chuck Rosenberg, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, announced the guilty plea. 

Omabtang will be sentenced on March 23, by U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis, III.  The child pornography production charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, and the attempted receipt charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.  Omabtang faces a maximum sentence of 65 years on all charges. 

“Those who exploit children shouldn’t expect the anonymity of cyberspace to protect them,” said William F. Reid, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agent in charge in Washington, DC. “ICE protects the most vulnerable in our community from those who attempt to sexually exploit them.”

According to court documents, from January to May 2006, Omabtang subscribed to a commercial child pornography website from his home computer.  A subsequent search of his residence revealed photo albums, videotapes, computers and over 1,700 computer disks containing child pornography.  Two of the videotapes show Omabtang sexually assaulting a 3-4 year old girl whom he was babysitting.  Omabtang was a friend and former co-worker of the child’s mother.  Omabtang recorded one of the sexual assaults at the child’s residence in Washington, D.C., and the other in the bedroom of his residence, in Springfield, Virginia.  

This Project Safe Childhood case was investigated by ICE and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force members from the Fairfax County Police Department. 

Computer forensics analysis was provided by the Department of Justice’s High Tech Investigative Unit. 

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Gerald J. Smagala and Special Assistant United States Attorney Edward J. McAndrew, a Trial Attorney in the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department of Justice.

-- ICE --