NEW YORK — A former sergeant of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) was sentenced Wednesday after being found guilty of sexually exploiting children. The arrest stemmed from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in New York and the NYPD.

Alberto Randazzo, 40, of Astoria, New York, was sentenced to 28 years imprisonment, eight years of supervised release and sex offender registration for sexual exploitation and receipt of child pornography. In July 2016, Randazzo pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to sexually exploit a child and one count of receipt of child pornography. According to court filings, from as early as 2010 through 2013, Randazzo targeted women through websites such as Ashley Madison and Match.com and persuaded them to sexually abuse children to whom they had access so he could watch the abuse.

“Randazzo held a position with the sole purpose to serve and protect the people of this city. Instead, he targeted certain women, persuaded them to sexually abuse their children and had them send him pictures and videos of the acts,” said HSI Special Agent-in-Charge Angel M. Melendez. “His behavior is no less than deplorable. It is with continued joint law enforcement efforts that we can target these types of offenders and ensure that they are punished for their heinous deeds.”

“Alberto Randazzo’s exploitation of innocent children is unconscionable. I am grateful to our detectives in Internal Affairs, Homeland Security and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of New York for their work in bringing Randazzo to justice for these horrific crimes,” said NYPD Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill.

Randazzo was caught in February 2013, when a witness found disturbing text messages on Randazzo’s phone and uncovered emails from women sending him pictures of them molesting their children. When the witness confronted him, Randazzo admitted his sexual interest in mothers having sex with their children.

Based on the information obtained from the witness and the photographs, the Internal Affairs Bureau (IAB) of the NYPD obtained a search warrant for Randazzo’s apartment and found numerous images and videos of child pornography, including a number of videos of child pornography that were created by Randazzo himself. Randazzo was arrested and charged in Queens Criminal Court. At the time of his arrest, Randazzo had been a member of the NYPD for 15 years. While on bail in connection with that case, Randazzo was discovered by Special Agents of HSI to be downloading child pornography, which led to the federal investigation and federal charges being filed.

At sentencing, the government presented evidence that at least five women complied with Randazzo’s solicitations and sexually abused children in order to satisfy his sexual desires. Randazzo’s victims ranged in age from a few months to eight years old, and he traveled out of state to watch two of them be molested in person. Randazzo arranged to have the 8-year-old victim drugged so that he would not remember the abuse.

Three of the women Randazzo solicited have also been charged in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY). Two have pleaded guilty, one of whom was sentenced to five years imprisonment, one of whom is awaiting sentencing and another is awaiting trial.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 14,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2015, nearly 2,400 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196.

Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST. For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page.