Orlando Man Luis Serrano Gets 20 Years for Child Porn Crimes

Orlando, FL — Luis Serrano, 24, is headed to federal prison for 20 years after being sentenced for producing child pornography, a crime that began when his victim was just 14 years old. U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron handed down the sentence on Friday, marking the end of a disturbing case that exposed the predatory use of online platforms to exploit minors. Serrano will face an additional 15 years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender upon release.

Serrano, of Orlando, pleaded guilty on August 8, 2016, to charges stemming from a calculated campaign of digital grooming and sexual abuse. According to court records, he first connected with the girl on a chat website when she was 13. Over two years, he manipulated her into performing sexual acts during live video chats — all of which he recorded. He also instructed her to film herself engaging in explicit conduct and send the footage to him over the internet.

When the victim turned 16, Serrano escalated the abuse by arranging an in-person meeting, during which he took sexually explicit photographs. He didn’t stop there — he distributed the images to as many as 10 individuals, further victimizing the child and spreading the abuse across digital networks. The exploitation was only uncovered after a federal investigation led to a search warrant executed at Serrano’s home on March 4, 2016.

Inside Serrano’s residence, federal agents seized electronic devices containing not only the images of his primary victim, but also a trove of additional child exploitation material. Investigators found 340 images and 175 videos depicting the sexual abuse of other minors — many of them infants and toddlers. Serrano admitted to obtaining and sharing these horrific files through an online file-sharing program, linking him to a broader network of digital child exploitation.

“The most important thing a society can protect is our children,” said Susan L. McCormick, special agent in charge of HSI Tampa. “HSI special agents utilized all of our investigative techniques and authorities to save a young child from further victimization and now this predator will be behind bars unable to harm other children.”

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Christina R. Downes and Assistant United States Attorney Karen L. Gable. It falls under Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. The nationwide effort combines federal, state, and local resources to track down offenders and rescue victims — a mission fulfilled, at least in part, with Serrano’s conviction and lengthy prison term.