SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - A 47-year-old predator from Carolina, Puerto Rico was sentenced in federal court here yesterday to 15 years in prison followed by 30 years of supervised release for possession and production of child pornography as a result of an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

ICE special agents arrested Freddie Cora-Rivera for possession and production of child pornography in May 2006 after an investigation revealed that computer and other electronic media previously seized from him contained images depicting him committing lascivious acts against minors.

Cora-Rivera pleaded guilty to criminal charges of possession and production of child pornography in Aug. 2006. In addition to the 15-year prison term, the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Aida Delgado also requires that Cora-Rivera's access to the Internet will be monitored.

"There are not words to describe this horrendous crime," said Manuel Oyola Torres, special agent in charge of the ICE office of investigations in Puerto Rico. "Predators who hurt children must know that they will not go free and that we will not rest until they are brought to justice."

Freddie Cora-Rivera's arrest was part of Operation Predator, a comprehensive ICE initiative aimed at those who prey on children, including human traffickers, international sex tourists, Internet pornographers, and foreign national predators whose crimes make them deportable. Since the initiative was launched in July of 2003, there have been more than 9,000 individuals arrested nationwide.

Additional information about Operation Predator is available on the Web at http://www.ice.gov. ICE encourages the reporting of suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free hotline at 1-866-DHS-2ICE. This hotline is staffed around the clock by investigators. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, at 1-800-843-5678 or http://www.cybertipline.com

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