Cordon Admits to Horrific Child Abuse, Faces Decades in Prison

JACKSONVILLE, FL – Henry Obdulio Cordon, 38, of Antioch, California, has admitted to a sickening act of depravity: producing a photograph depicting the sexual abuse of a child. The United States Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, Roger B. Handberg, announced the guilty plea today, signaling a step closer to justice for the victim and a potentially lengthy prison sentence for the perpetrator.

Cordon now faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years in federal prison, with the potential for up to 30 years behind bars. Beyond incarceration, he could be subjected to a lifetime of supervised release. He has been held in custody since his arrest in California on May 16, 2019, and is scheduled to be sentenced on October 23, 2024. This isn’t a case of fleeting impulse; the evidence points to a calculated act of abuse preserved for years.

The investigation began in April 2019 when an internet service provider flagged a disturbing pattern of activity. CyberTipline reports were sent to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) detailing child sexual abuse photos discovered within an email account traced back to California. Law enforcement quickly zeroed in on Cordon, finding at least five photos depicting the abuse of children. A subsequent search of additional accounts linked to Cordon revealed even more damning evidence, including a photo of a young child being sexually abused by an adult male – a photo that would ultimately unravel his defense.

Metadata from the photo revealed it was created on July 11, 2011, using a Blackberry device. Investigators discovered the email account was actively used at Cordon’s apartment during April and May 2019. When confronted during a search of his California residence on May 16, 2019, Cordon initially claimed he had only searched for “nude teen pictures.” However, when pressed about the specific photo of the abused child, he eventually confessed to knowing the victim and admitted she was “maybe” under four years of age. He claimed the abuse was a single incident, and that he emailed the photo to himself as a form of perverse preservation.

The investigation didn’t stop there. Authorities confirmed Cordon had indeed taken the photo and sent it to his email. The image was also recovered from a device he possessed during his arrest. Crucially, law enforcement in Florida identified the child and confirmed the location where the horrific act took place. This wasn’t a crime committed in the shadows, but one meticulously documented and stored by the perpetrator. The collaboration between California and Florida law enforcement was instrumental in bringing Cordon to justice.

This case was a joint effort by the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force of Contra Costa County, the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office, the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant United States Attorney D. Rodney Brown is prosecuting the case as part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative dedicated to combating child sexual exploitation. For more information on Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and report on the sentencing.