A Worcester man has been charged in federal court with sexually exploiting 2 minor females and recording the assaults, U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy announced Tuesday.
Antonio Merced, 26, faces a count of sexual exploitation of a minor. He is currently in state custody on related charges and will appear in federal court in Worcester at a later date.
According to court documents, Merced allegedly created video recordings of himself sexually assaulting 2 girls on or about July 13th.
Merced was previously arrested in September 2024 and charged in Worcester District Court with multiple offenses, including dissemination of child sexual abuse material, aggravated rape of a child, and enticing a child under 16.
If convicted on the federal charge, Merced faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison, up to 30 years, a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentencing will be determined by a federal judge based on guidelines and applicable statutes.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative launched in 2006 to combat child exploitation and abuse. The program combines resources from federal, state, and local agencies to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.
The FBI Boston Division and Worcester Police Department are assisting in the investigation.
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