CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Christina Cortez, 39, of Corpus Christi, and Matthew Harbin, 30, of Brownsville, have been handed long prison terms for producing child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Harbin was also sentenced for child pornography charges stemming from the Northern District of Alabama. Cortez and Harbin pleaded guilty Sept. 23, 2015.
Today, Senior U.S. District Judge Hayden Head sentenced Harbin to a total of 35 years in federal prison. He was ordered to serve 300 months for the Corpus Christi charges and another 120 months for the Alabama case which will be served consecutively for a total of 420 months in federal prison. The sentence will be followed by a lifetime of supervised release. Cortez was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison to be immediately followed by 20 years of supervised release. Both must register as sex offenders. At the hearing, the victim’s mother gave a statement explaining how the crime affected her daughter and family.
The court also heard that the case began after Harbin was identified as providing images to an undercover officer in England. Using the email address dirtysickmind@yahoo.com, Harbin provided three photos of a child clothed and not sexually posed, but that appeared to be taken at a daycare facility. Harbin told the undercover officer he had more pictures, wanted to trade and asked the undercover officer if they had a daughter and how young they were “in to." Harbin later sent five more pictures of what appears to be the same female child, but that were sexually explicit in nature. One image depicts the child laying down on a blue mat with her dress lifted and her lower body exposed. Other images depicted an adult female’s hand making contact with a child’s private area.
Further investigation revealed Harbin had previously received the images from Cortez in July 2014. In their communications, Cortez claimed to work at a daycare facility where she produced the images. Cortez admitted taking and sending the images of the same female child involved in sexually explicit conduct to Harbin. The child’s genitals appear to be the focus of all three of the aforementioned images, one of which includes the child fondling herself.
In their communications, both Harbin and Cortez indicated a desire to engage with children. During one conversation, Cortez told Harbin “I would love to watch us with her. 2 & half."
Today, the court also heard from a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent from Alabama. The agent testified Harbin is a convicted sex offender from Alabama who fled to Brownsville following the issuance of a federal arrest warrant for child. In that case, Harbin admitted to trading child pornography two or three times per month with individuals online. The agent also testified that a search of Harbin’s email accounts uncovered multiple conversations with other individuals regarding the sexual abuse of children. Agents seized various electronic devices from Harbin on which forensic analysis revealed more than 2800 images and more than 130 videos of child pornography.
A Brownsville HSI agent also provided testimony today. The agent explained that when Harbin was arrested in Brownsville, a search of his email accounts also uncovered multiple conversations with more individuals regarding the sexual abuse of children. A forensic analysis of Harbin’s electronic devices from his Brownsville arrest revealed more than 3,500 images and more than 360 videos of child pornography.
Both Cortez and Harbin have remained in custody since their arrest and will remain there pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.
The charges are the result of an investigation by HSI, U.S. Secret Service and 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
