Former City of Miami Aide Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Crime

MIAMI – Today, Rene Pedrosa, 51, pleaded guilty in federal court in Miami to receiving child pornography in 2019 from a 16-year-old boy.

According to a factual proffer filed with the court, in November 2019, Pedrosa connected with the boy on social media. Pedrosa, who at the time worked as an aide to the City of Miami mayor, communicated with the boy on social media and in person about a website design job for Pedrosa’s boss.

One meeting took place at Miami City Hall on November 25, 2019. Pedrosa admitted that during the meeting, he kissed and sexually touched the boy, who had been dropped off at City Hall for a website design follow-up meeting by his mother. Pedrosa also admitted that he continued communicating with the boy through an internet-based messaging application and that on December 22, 2019, Pedrosa knowingly received sexually explicit images of the boy.

Pedrosa is scheduled for sentencing on August 14, at 8:30 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola. Pedrosa faces between five and 20 years in federal prison.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

FBI Miami investigated the case, with assistance from City of Miami Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Obenauf and Dayron Silverio are prosecuting it.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about the Project Safe Childhood initiative and for information regarding Internet safety, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov under case number 21-cr-20259.

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