Anthony V. Mangione, head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for South Florida, faces a mandatory five years in prison for child pornography. Prosecutors are shooting for up to seven years.
In 2011, Mangione was placed on paid administrative leave after his internet provider, AOL, reported his having four child-porn images on his home computer.
Now, as he is set to face sentencing, federal court documents reveal that Mangione, 52, had up to 150 images on his laptop. Some of the victims in the images were as young as 3.
As the special agent in charge of ICE's South Florida office, the 27-year veteran had lead the charge against child pornography.
In April of '11, the Broward Sheriff's Office and the FBI searched Magione's home in Parkland. Authorities then seized his home computer as well as his computer from ICE's Miami-Dade office. In July, Mangione pleaded guilty to one count of child pornography.
According to the Sun Sentinel, Mangione had been a part of internet chats with other child-pornography owners. He reportedly sent images to a man in Delaware who allegedly owned more than 700 child porn images. In these chats, Mangione presented himself to be a mother who was sexually abusing her daughters, according to the report.
In another twist, Mangione visited Portugal for job training on how to fight child exploitation and sex crimes involving children. There he learned about software programs that wipe away computer files and internet histories. This trip was just days after AOL had reported him.
According to Michael W. Grant, a trial attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Mangione then returned to the States and installed these very same programs into his personal laptop.
Prosecutors are expected to present U.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra with statements from five victims.
One of the statements from a young girl reads:
"These pictures of me are everywhere and will never go away, no matter how much I run from them. These photos are being distributed and viewed by many different criminals. Every time they are viewed and passed on it feels like a knife in my heart."
Mangione's sentencing is set for 2:30 p.m. Friday at the West Palm Beach federal courthouse.
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