Heriberto Batista Montijo, Child Sex Abuse Image Production, Florida 2022

Fort Myers, Florida – A 50-year prison sentence has been handed down to a Lehigh Acres man for producing and possessing images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of a child.

Heriberto Batista Montijo, 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell on June 27, 2022. In addition to the 50-year prison sentence, Montijo was also ordered to serve a life term of supervised release and register as a sex offender.

According to court documents, Montijo produced images and videos of his sexual abuse of two minors and possessed other videos depicting the sexual abuse of unidentified minors. In January 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received a cybertip concerning an individual who had uploaded child sexual abuse material using his social media account, and NCMEC provided the cybertip to law enforcement.

On May 13, 2021, law enforcement executed a search warrant at Montijo’s residence and located the security camera from his bedroom. The following day, law enforcement obtained and executed a search warrant for Montijo’s vehicle and located his cellphone. A subsequent forensic analysis of Montijo’s cellphone and security camera revealed images and videos of Montijo sexually abusing a 12-year-old child and a 10-year-old child between February and March 2021. Additionally, other videos were located on his cellphone which depicted the sexual abuse of unidentified minors.

“The 50-year prison sentence handed down in this case is proof of the FBI’s vigilance and dedication to protecting children. Our Child Exploitation Task Forces work tirelessly to ensure sexual predators like Mr. Montijo are removed from society; never to prey on the innocent again,” said FBI Tampa Division Special Agent in Charge David Walker.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, and the Lee County Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava.

This case is another example of the efforts made by law enforcement to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. As part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006, the U.S. Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section work together to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.

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