By: Laura Soukkavong
Boston – A Worcester man has been sentenced to decades in federal prison for sexually exploiting multiple minors and producing explicit material involving children.
Antonio Merced, 29, was sentenced on March 26, by a judge in U.S. District Court to 30 years in prison, followed by a lifetime term of supervised release. Federal officials stated that the sentence will run consecutive to an existing state prison sentence.
Merced previously pleaded guilty in July 2025 to multiple federal charges, including sexual exploitation of minors and possession of child sexual abuse material.
According to investigators, the uncovered distributing evidence that Merced had abused three minor victimes over a period of time. Authorities reported that he exposed two minors to explicit materials and items in 2024, which led to a deeper investigation. That investigation revealed the production of illicit videos and additional abuse involving multiple victims.
Officials stated that evidence included documentation of abuse involving a child as young as six years old, along with videos created in 2024 depicting future exploitation of two other minors. During court proceedings, Merced admitted to producing explicit material involving the victims and possessing a large quantity of illegal content depicting other unidentified children.
Merced was initially arrested in September 2024 and later prosecuted at both the state and federal levels. In state court, he was convicted of multiple charges related to the assault of a child and received a sentence ranging from 25 to 30 years.
Federal and local law enforcement agencies collaborated on the investigation and prosecution. Authorities emphasized the importance of partnerships between agencies in identifying victims and holding offenders accountable.
The case was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative focused on combating the exploitation and abuse of children through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies.
Officials say the investigation highlights the continues efforts to protect children and bring justice to victims of exploitation.