CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Kevin Justin Esquivel, 24, of Corpus Christi, has been ordered to federal prison following his conviction of distribution of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Esquivel pleaded guilty March 12, 2015.
Today, U.S. District Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos sentenced Esquivel to 120 months in federal prison to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. He will also be ordered to register as a sex offender.
At the time he entered his plea before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jason B. Libby, the court heard that agents with the FBI Dallas Child Exploitation Task Force, while using peer-to-peer software, were able to successfully download of various files containing child pornography from an IP address that was associated with Esquivel. As a result of this information, the FBI office in Corpus Christi was contacted to assist in the investigation.
In August 2014, agents executed a search warrant at Esquivel’s residence, at which time they seized various electronic devices. Forensic analysis on those devices revealed more than 4,000 images and more than 900 videos of child pornography. Esquivel admitted having an sexual interest in children between the ages of 10 and 13 years of age and having downloaded child pornography.
Esquivel was arrested on the federal charges in August 2014 and has been in custody since that time where he will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. The charges against Esquivel were the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Corpus Christi Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.
This case, prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Hugo R. Martinez, 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
