FORT MYERS — A 37-year-old Punta Gorda physical education teacher and coach was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for producing, receiving, possessing and accessing images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children, U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced.
U.S. District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell also imposed a life term of supervised release on Dagoberto Miguel Pena and ordered him to register as a sex offender. Pena pleaded guilty on January 23, 2026.
According to court documents, Pena used and persuaded two minors to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of their sexual abuse from October 2024 through February 2026. A third minor was also identified as a victim after investigators located images and videos of the child engaging in sexually explicit conduct in Pena’s possession.
The investigation began in April 2025 after a parent discovered Pena’s inappropriate communications with a minor. Search warrants executed on Pena’s cellphone and online storage account revealed text messages with minors, including images of a minor nude and engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators also recovered images and videos Pena had taken during his sexual abuse of two minors.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Fort Myers Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, which includes the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the Punta Gorda Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Yolande G. Viacava prosecuted the case.
The prosecution was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims.
Pena’s 60-year sentence effectively ensures he will spend the rest of his life in federal custody. He remains subject to the life term of supervised release should he ever be released from prison.