The FBI executed a search warrant at Angel Almeida’s Astoria residence the place they recovered child porn and a firearm. (QNS file photograph)
Feb. 1, 2023 By Invoice Parry
An Astoria man was arraigned in Brooklyn federal court docket on Wednesday on a superseding indictment charging him with child exploitation and firearm possession as a felony.
Angel Almeida, 22, was arrested in November 2021 on a grievance charging him with the sexual exploitation and tried exploitation of a minor, coercion and enticement and tried coercion and enticement of a minor, possession of child pornography, and possessing a firearm and ammunition as a felon, in accordance with federal prosecutors.
Almeida was initially indicted in December 2021 and has been detained pending trial.
In keeping with court docket filings, in September 2021 and October 2021, the FBI acquired ideas concerning Almeida possessing firearms and posting sexually specific pictures of youngsters on-line. The tipster recognized social media profiles utilized by Almeida, together with a Fb account with the profile identify “Sargent Grey” often known as the Sargent Account, in accordance with the feds. A assessment of the Sargent Account, in addition to Instagram accounts utilized by Almeida, revealed photographs of Almeida holding what gave the impression to be firearms.
On Nov. 23, 2021, members of legislation enforcement executed a search warrant at Almeida’s residence and recovered a 9mm Taurus handgun that gave the impression to be the identical firearm that the defendant had posed with. Almeida has a 2019 felony conviction in Florida for housebreaking. As a outcome, in December 2021, Almeida was charged in an indictment with being a felon in possession of a firearm.
As well as, from July 2021 to December 2021, Almeida enticed a minor to interact in sexually specific conduct for the aim of producing movies, in accordance with court docket filings. Between February 2020 and November 2021, Almeida additionally enticed one other minor to interact in sexual conduct, a violation of the federal Mann Act. Along with the enticement and coercion charges, Almeida can be charged with possession of child pornography recovered from a number of cell telephones.
“The defendant’s alleged exploitation of minors has been extremely harmful mentally, emotionally, and physically to his victims,” U.S. Legal professional Breon Peace stated. “His possession of a firearm despite a felony conviction, combined with his crimes against minors, reflect Almeida’s dangerousness and lack of respect for the law. Protecting the community from predators like the defendant will always be a priority of this office. Additionally, I urge parents and caregivers to have conversations with their children about the dangers of communicating online with strangers and individuals who seek to exploit them.”
If convicted on the charges, Almeida faces a necessary minimal of 15 years in jail and as much as life in jail.
“As alleged, Almeida posed multiple threats to our community, not only as a felon in possession of a firearm but also through targeting children as victims of sexual abuse,” FBI Assistant Director-in-Cost Michael Driscoll stated. “Today’s indictment serves as a reminder that the FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to aggressively pursue and hold accountable anyone willing to exploit some of the most vulnerable members of our society.”
The federal government’s investigation is ongoing, and Driscoll urged anybody with details about sexual exploitation by Almeida to contact the Bureau at 1-800-CALL-FBI or on-line at ideas.fbi.gov.
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