A Los Angeles man will spend the next decade behind bars after a federal judge in Florida sentenced him for targeting minors online. Eddie Ademir Villalta Hernandez, 37, received a 10-year federal prison sentence from U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday for enticing or coercing a minor to engage in sexual activity.
The sentencing, announced by U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe, follows a guilty plea Hernandez entered in October 2025. In addition to the prison term, the court ordered the forfeiture of an iPhone used during the crimes and mandated that Hernandez register as a sex offender.
Court records detail a pattern of behavior spanning from November 2022 to April 2024. During this period, Hernandez utilized a social media application to persuade and entice minors into sending him videos and images of child exploitation.
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Investigators found that Hernandez offered monetary payments in exchange for the illicit material.
The investigation was spearheaded by Homeland Security Investigations and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ilyssa M. Spergel.
The conviction is a result of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative established in 2006. The program coordinates efforts between federal, state, and local law enforcement to track down individuals who exploit children and to provide resources for victim rescue.
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