60-year prison sentence for a former basketball player! What was found in the FBI investigation
Article by David Istrate – Published on Wednesday, 06 May 2026, 13:22 / Updated on Wednesday, 06 May 2026 13:36
Dagoberto Pena (37), a former basketball player and member of the Dominican Republic national team, was sentenced to 60 years in prison for producing, receiving, possessing and knowingly accessing images and videos depicting child sexual abuse.
Dagoberto Pena, born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, attended high school and college in the United States and then began his basketball career in Argentina. Over the years, he played for a long time in Spain, including in the second team of Barcelona, but also in Lithuania or France. Also, Pena represented the national team at the 2017 FIBA AmeriCup and the 2019 World Championship.
Dagoberto Pena pleaded guilty in January 2026 and was sentenced to 60 years in prison
In 2023, after finishing his career, he moved to Florida, where he had graduated from high school, and began working as a coach and physical education teacher. Pena used this position to sexually abuse children and was arrested and sentenced to 60 years in prison.
According to the official website of the United States Department of Justice, for one year and 4 months from October 2024 to February 2026, the former Dominican Republic national team player used and convinced two minors to participate in sexual acts, and he made recordings.
In April 2025, a parent discovered an inappropriate discussion between Pena and a minor and alerted authorities. They started an investigation, and as a result of the searches, several messages with minors and nude images received from one were found.
The case was investigated by the FBI and other organizations, and Judge Sheri Polster Chappell decided on Dagoberto Pena's sentence: 60 years in prison. He pleaded guilty on January 23, 2026 and was registered as a sex offender, being sentenced to life supervised release after serving his sentence.
