Feds: Man extradited from Spain for child sex crimes
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A man has admitted to sexually exploiting a West Michigan minor after being extradited from Spain to face federal charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan.
On Thursday, 24-year-old Kristian Ignacio Feliz, of Connecticut, pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child, the office announced Friday in a release.
Feliz admitted to using an internet messaging platform to compel a minor located in Kalamazoo to make and distribute child pornography of herself, according to the attorney’s office. This took place from October 2022 to January 2023. Then, in early January 2023, the office says Feliz went to Kalamazoo and recorded himself having sex with the same minor.
He was indicted in March 2023 and extradited from Spain in November to face the charges, according to the release.
“My office is committed to protecting our most vulnerable citizens from child exploitation,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a statement. “I appreciate the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety, FBI, and our Spanish law enforcement partners for their persistent and successful efforts to bring Mr. Feliz to justice.”
Feliz is expected to be sentenced in May. The attorney’s office says he faces between 15 and 30 years in federal prison.
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