CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - A Mexican citizen residing in Aransas Pass has been ordered to prison following his conviction of possessing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Jose Fernando Cardenas-Lira, 52, pleaded guilty to the charges in May 2015.
Today, U.S. District Judge Hayden Head ordered he serve an 84-month prison sentence to be followed by 10 years of supervised release. In handing down the sentence, Judge Head stated that “children deserve to be provide protection of the law and this sentence is intended to do just that.
Cardenas-Lira came to the attention of law enforcement after agents used peer-to-peer software and were able to successfully download various files containing child pornography from an IP address that was associated with Cardenas-Lira. Agents initiated surveillance on his residence and followed him to the North Beach area in Corpus Christi. Agents then watched as Cardenas-Lira sat inside his vehicle for more than three hours appearing to be watching families on and around the beach. On several occasions, Cardenas-Lira raised a camera and appeared to be photographing children and families.
In August 2013, agents executed a search warrant at his residence, at which time they seized various electronic devices. Forensic analysis on those devices revealed more than 90 videos of child pornography.
Cardenas-Lira will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The charges against Cardenas-Lira were the result of an investigation conducted by Homeland Security Investigations with the assistance of the Corpus Christi Police Department-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
