Former Dominican basketball player Dagoberto Peña sentenced to 60 years in the U.S. for child exploitation

Santo Domingo.— Dominican former basketball player Dagoberto Peña, 37, was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison in the United States after pleading guilty to multiple charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors.

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The sentence was handed down this Tuesday by Judge Sheri Polster Chappell, who also ordered that the former athlete serve supervised release for life once his sentence is over, as well as his mandatory registration in the sex offender registry. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, Peña pleaded guilty on January 23, 2026. Investigations determined that, between October 2024 and February 2026, he persuaded at least two minors to participate in sexually explicit activities with the aim of producing audiovisual material of the abuse. The case came to light in April 2025, when a father reported inappropriate communications between the accused and a minor. Following that alert, the authorities seized electronic devices and digital accounts from the defendant, where they found messages, images, and videos of illicit content. Subsequently, the investigators identified a third victim. The investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in coordination with local Florida agencies, including specialized units in the fight against child exploitation and human trafficking. In the sports field, Peña served as a forward and was part of the Dominican Republic’s national basketball team, representing the country in international events such as the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup. Likewise, he developed a professional career in leagues in Europe and Latin America, with stints in teams from Spain, France, Colombia, Uruguay, and Lithuania. The former player also had experience in US college basketball with Marshall University, after training at Charlotte County High School.