A Massachusetts man was sentenced on Mar. 24 to 15 years in prison for transporting child sexual abuse material after being arrested at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, according to U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson of the Western District of North Carolina.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement to address crimes involving the exploitation of children and enforce strong penalties against offenders.
Jossue Ovidio Tejada, age 31 and from Nantucket, received a sentence that includes a lifetime of supervised release following his prison term. He must also register as a sex offender and pay $79,300 in restitution. Special Agent in Charge Mark M. Zito of Homeland Security Investigations in North Carolina and South Carolina joined Ferguson in announcing the sentencing.
According to court records, Tejada arrived on an international flight from the Dominican Republic on March 1, 2024. During passport control inspection at the airport, Customs and Border Patrol officers conducted a search of his phone and found message threads related to child sexual abuse material (CSAM). A forensic examination revealed more than four thousand files containing CSAM as well as thousands more depicting other illegal content involving minors. The investigation also found that Tejada communicated with others online to solicit, pay for, and distribute this material.
During sentencing, U.S. District Judge Kenneth D. Bell said, “This is about as serious an offense as it gets… What is depicted in those videos actually happened.”
Tejada remains in custody while awaiting placement at a federal facility by the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Cervantes prosecuted the case.
This prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation through coordinated federal, state, and local efforts.
