Former Punta Gorda teacher federally sentenced 60 years for child pornography

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — A former Punta Gorda teacher and Charlotte High School coach has been federally sentenced to 60 years in prison for producing and receiving child pornography.

Dagoberto Pena was arrested in 2025, where he was indicted on charges of 2 counts of production of child pornography, 1 count of receipt of child pornography, and 1 count of possession of child pornography.

Dagoberto Pena was federally sentenced on Monday following an investigation launched by the FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. 

According to the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office, Pena has been sentenced to 60 years in the Bureau of Prisons with lifetime supervision. This sentence was handed down earlier Monday.

Documents found in July 2025 revealed that the Punta Gorda Police Department continued investigating then 37-year-old Dagoberto Pena after his initial charges of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and other offenses.

Investigators filed a warrant to examine Pena's cellphones, uncovering disturbing findings.

Court records allege that investigators found eight videos on Pena's phones showing him and a victim, aged between 14 and 15, engaging in sexual activity.

These videos were reportedly taken on at least four separate occasions in the victim's bedroom.

According to court records, police discovered that Pena had been at the girl's home on the day of his April arrest.

Text messages between Pena and the victim revealed that she was unwilling to participate in the acts and that they made her physically ill.

Police said Pena texted the girl back, indicating that "her suffering excited him."

WINK News covered Pena’s arrest and indictment, and our investigative team contacted the Charlotte County School District to determine whether policy changes would be enacted following this discovery.

"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," said Claudette Smith, a spokesperson for the Charlotte County School District. "It's time. There's a lot of social media platforms. There's a lot of different avenues for people to communicate, and having a district approved app protects everyone involved," said Smith.

Jessica Allen, whose son attends Punta Gorda Middle School, expressed her concerns about the district's handling of her son's claims regarding Pena's alleged misconduct with female students.

"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," said Allen.

She felt the school district did not take her son's claims seriously and believes that changes are necessary, though she maintains this situation could have been avoided. WINK Investigates showed her the policy proposals. 

"Too many loopholes, too many loopholes. I agree they have to do something, but I'm not sure this is the right answer for all of them. It's a start. I would say," said Allen.