A man who spent years working inside Florida classrooms and coaching teenagers on the basketball court will now spend the next six decades behind bars.
Dagoberto Pena, a former teacher at Punta Gorda Middle School and assistant basketball coach at Charlotte High School, was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison on Monday following his conviction on multiple counts related to the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography.
The sentencing, handed down by federal authorities, also includes lifetime supervision upon any release.
The case has sent shockwaves through the Charlotte County community, raising serious questions about how someone in a position of trust over young students was able to carry out such crimes over an extended period of time.
How the Investigation Unfolded
The case against Pena began in April 2025 when a parent contacted the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office after discovering troubling conversations on her child’s phone between the child and Pena.
The Punta Gorda Police Department took over the investigation due to jurisdictional boundaries and moved quickly to obtain search warrants for both Pena’s personal and work phones.
What investigators found on those devices was deeply disturbing. According to court records, eight videos were recovered showing Pena with a victim between the ages of 14 and 15 engaging in sexual activity.
The recordings had been made on at least four separate occasions inside the victim’s own bedroom. Text messages recovered from the phones painted an even grimmer picture.
The victim had communicated to Pena that she was unwilling and that the acts were making her physically ill. Pena reportedly responded by telling her that her suffering excited him.
Following the initial arrest, investigators continued digging. By July 2025, Pena faced additional charges connected to a second victim.
He was federally indicted on four counts, including production of child pornography, receipt of child pornography, and possession of child pornography. He entered a guilty plea in January before the final sentencing was carried out on April 27.
Community Reaction and School Policy Questions
The case has prompted difficult conversations in Charlotte County about whether the school district acted swiftly enough when warning signs first appeared.
Jessica Allen, whose son attends Punta Gorda Middle School, told WINK News that her son had attempted to alert others about Pena’s behavior toward female students.
Rather than being taken seriously, her son reportedly faced consequences for spreading what the school initially dismissed as a rumor.
“He told a couple of girls at the school, and they spread that information. Originally, he got in trouble because he was spreading a rumor,” Allen said.
The Charlotte County School District has since proposed policy changes in the wake of the case, including the use of district-approved communication applications to limit private contact between staff and students.
While some parents welcome the effort, Allen believes the proposals still contain too many loopholes to be fully effective.
Claudette Smith, a spokesperson for the school district, acknowledged the need for action. “We are in the business of educating and protecting our students, so we are going to do whatever we can to make sure that happens,” she said.
Pena, who also played professional basketball in the Dominican Republic, will now serve his sentence in the Bureau of Prisons.
