Philadelphia Man Sentenced to 55 Years in Prison for Exploiting Toddlers
A Philadelphia man, Justyn Perez-Colon, 27, has been sentenced to 55 years in prison for his role in the sexual abuse and exploitation of two young toddlers in his care.
A federal investigation into Perez-Colon’s activities began in February 2018, when he posted an advertisement on Craigslist seeking to connect with other child sex offenders to trade stories and child pornography. An undercover FBI agent responded to his posting, and during their communications over the next few days, Perez-Colon admitted to sexually abusing a young family member for years and confessed to currently sexually abusing a young girl in his care.
The subsequent investigation by the FBI revealed that Perez-Colon not only sexually abused and exploited the two toddler victims but also distributed their images and videos over the Internet to other child sex offenders for their sexual gratification. Timothy O’Connell, a Villanova University Campus Minister, and Michael Meacham, a West Chester University student, both communicated online with Perez-Colon and received sexually explicit images from him.
Perez-Colon had previously sexually abused a young family member for more than eight years, beginning when the child was just seven years old. The defendant pleaded guilty in September 2019 to a federal indictment charging him with two counts of production of child pornography, distribution of child pornography, five counts of attempted distribution of child pornography, and possession of child pornography.
“Child pornography and exploitation offenses are among the most horrific crimes prosecuted by this Office,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Jennifer Arbittier Williams. “But this case is particularly disturbing due to Perez-Colon’s history as a previously convicted sex offender and the very young ages of his victims.”
Perez-Colon’s cell phone was seized and examined, and found to contain additional videos of him sexually abusing the 1-year-old girl, in addition to evidence that he was also sexually exploiting a different toddler with whom the defendant had a personal relationship.
The FBI identified and arrested Perez-Colon within 24 hours of receiving the pornographic images of his abuse of the child. His associates, Timothy O’Connell and Michael Meacham, were also prosecuted and pleaded guilty to federal charges of receipt of child pornography. O’Connell was sentenced to 6 ½ years in prison in November 2019.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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