Source: US FBI
BOSTON – A Worcester man pleaded guilty today to sexually exploiting three minor females.
Antonio Merced, 28, pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography before U.S. District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman, who scheduled sentencing for Nov. 21, 2025. Merced was charged in November 2024. He remains in state custody on related offenses.
In July 2024, Merced exposed two minor victims to pornography and sex toys, and a subsequent investigation resulted in the discovery of multiple videos the defendant produced. Merced admitted to using three minors to create sexually explicit videos on three dates in 2023 and 2024.
Merced was arrested in September 2024 and subsequently charged in Worcester District Court with three counts of dissemination of obscene material to a minor, and one count each of open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior, dissemination of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), intimidation, enticing a child under 16 and two counts of aggravated rape of a child.
The charge of sexual exploitation of a minor provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Worcester Police Chief Paul B. Saucier made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen Noto of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.