Damian Barbarito Romero, 37, of New Orleans, Louisiana, pleaded guilty today to possession of child pornography involving children under the age of twelve, admitting to amassing a vast digital archive of child sexual abuse material. The one-count Indictment, filed under Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252(a)(4)(B), was entered before U.S. District Judge Sarah S. Vance.
Federal agents from the FBI executed a search warrant at Romero’s residence in February 2017, seizing dozens of electronic devices including laptops, thumb drives, external hard drives, and DVDs. Forensic analysis revealed approximately 3,984 unique images and 1,258 videos of children being sexually exploited—some as young as two years old—forced into violent and explicit acts.
Investigators determined Romero deliberately attempted to conceal his criminal collection, using a sophisticated 22-character password in a failed effort to encrypt and hide the illicit files. Despite these measures, digital forensics experts recovered the full extent of his stash, exposing a calculated effort to hoard and preserve the abuse of the most vulnerable victims.
Romero now faces a maximum sentence of twenty years in federal prison. In addition to potential incarceration, he will be required to register as a sex offender for life—a consequence that follows him into every community he enters. Sentencing is scheduled for May 16, 2018, at 9:30 a.m. before Judge Vance.
The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 to combat the explosion of child sexual exploitation online. Spearheaded by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), the program unites federal, state, and local agencies to hunt down predators and rescue child victims.
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans commended the FBI’s relentless work on the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jordan Ginsberg is leading the prosecution. For more on Project Safe Childhood, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
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Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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