A Springfield man has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for crimes involving the sexual exploitation of a child, as well as receipt and possession of child pornography. Bairon Ubeda, 45, received the sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Brian E. Murphy in Springfield. Following his release, he will be subject to 10 years of supervised release.
Ubeda was convicted by a federal jury in August 2025 on charges that included possession and receipt of child pornography and sexual exploitation of children. He was previously indicted in May 2023.
At the time these offenses occurred, Ubeda was on state pre-trial release for several charges including aggravated rape and abuse of a child, trafficking for sexual servitude, extortion, larceny, assault and battery, and related crimes involving minors. He was later convicted on those state charges in 2019 and sentenced to a prison term of 10-12 years.
“Ubeda is a vile predator who spent years exploiting fear, shame and manipulation to dominate his victims, including coercing the horrific sexual abuse of a defenseless three-year-old child. His conduct was calculated, deliberate and among the most disturbing crimes we see in federal court,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “This sentence ensures that he can never again terrorize women or children, and it reaffirms our office’s unwavering commitment to protecting the most vulnerable from those who prey on them.”
“Ubeda was the mastermind behind the calculated manipulation and coercion of women, using fear and shame to control them. He successfully manipulated one woman into sexually exploiting her own child at his direction – an unimaginable act.” said Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol for Homeland Security Investigations in New England. “With a forty-year federal prison sentence imposed for his horrific crimes, our commitment to bringing peace and justice to the victims of these predators has never been stronger.”
According to authorities, between at least 2015 and 2019 Ubeda used fake social media accounts while claiming to represent an adult modeling company as part of a scheme targeting women online. Victims were deceived into sending explicit images along with personal information; Ubeda then threatened exposure unless they complied with his demands for further sexual acts.
In one instance described by prosecutors, Ubeda coerced a woman into sexually abusing her three-year-old child while documenting it for him under threat that he would send such material along with her identifying details to child protective services if she did not comply.
The investigation involved cooperation among several agencies including Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Hampden County Sheriff’s Office, Springfield Police Department, and assistance from the Hampden County District Attorney’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Maynard and Mark Grady.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative started by the Department of Justice in 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local authorities. More information about this program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
