LAREDO, Texas - Daniel Frias Gomez, 23, has entered a guilty plea to possessing child pornography, announced United States Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Gomez, a legal permanent resident born and raised in Jalisco, Mexico, who resided in Columbus, Iowa, pleaded guilty Dec. 4, 2013.
Today, Senior U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen ordered he serve a total of 87 months in federal prison to be immediately followed by 10 years of supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender.
Gomez was apprehended on Sept. 27, 2013, as he applied for admission back into the United States via the Lincoln-Juarez International Bridge, Port of Entry No. 2, in Laredo as a passenger onboard a commercial bus. He had claimed to have gone to Mexico to visit relatives and was on his way back home to Iowa.
Gomez was referred to secondary inspection, at which time multiple electronic devices, including DVDs and memory cards, were discovered. He claimed ownership of those devices. A search was conducted and approximately 200 child pornographic images and videos were discovered. Some of the images included variations of pornography, including some involving bestiality.
Gomez made claims that he was approached by an “unknown" male, who offered him pornographic images because he had a PSP device. He ultimately decided to plead guilty as charged. He will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
Homeland Security Investigations and CBP investigated. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Suntrease Williams prosecuted the case. AUSA Sonah Lee handled the sentencing.
This case, prosecuted by, was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab "resources."
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
